SEA Games: a Bunch of Unknown Heroes

Triyaningsih celebrates with teammates her gold medal  at the 10.000 metres at the 2009 SEA Games, Vientiane
Photo: Antara/ Andika Wahyu
http://www.thejakartapost.com

Do you think in the last IAAF athlete of the year award ceremony the highest prizes were given to the most marketable runners instead of to the ones who really deserved them, as it happens every time in the cinema with the Oscars? Do you believe the international press is focusing in just a few names as Usain Bolt, Yelena Isinbayeva, Allyson Felix, Christophe Lemaître and now Sally Pearson, forgetting many others also author of remarkable deeds? Are you tired of watching how the Diamond League meetings are just becoming an empty show around records, money and sponsorship interests? Do you simply like track and field and thus try to find the essence of the sport in competitions where the main actors are young upcoming runners whose whole dreams are still on the making? Then, maybe this is for you. 

The South East Asian area is known as a tropical paradise, a privileged touristic destination, but it is sadly famous as well for periodical catastrophes as floods and tsunamis. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore or Vietnam are also newly industrialised countries with emerging economies trying to reach the global market. We had the chance of being in contact with this fashionable culture, their attractive people, their personal universe, on occasion of the recent South East Asian Games, a biannual sportive event, the largest in the area, which celebrated its XXVI edition at the Indonesian towns of Jakarta and Palembang. In the latter town, which is the capital of South Sumatra,  were held the Athletic competitions, which opened those populous Games.

Track and field in the region is still a world apart from European or American elite. Only a few privileged ones can practise sport as a full profession. Most must share their athletic passion with their studies or a complementary job. Humble are their athletes achievements and modest the training facilities they enjoy. Yet they persevere in search of their dreams and their government manages to make some international contacts and put at their disposal some foreign reputed coaches to help develop track and field in those countries. To reach the Olympic standard and get a ticket for the London Games is already a big triumph for the foremost South East Asian runners, jumpers and throwers.      

Long jump Tagaloh star Marestella Torres and her dolphin Katherine Kay Santos
Photo: Vic Adornado
http://www.interaksyon.com

Thailand has traditionally been the overwhelming dominator of the contest. This edition, they accomplished again the biggest tally (14) of golden medals. Yet the performance of the host of the Games, Indonesia, can be considered this time equal to the country of the white elephant’s: 13 victories but 36 medals overall against to the 32 Thais. Vietnam also improved considerably, finishing a good third (9 gold medals for a total of 32). Individually, in a competition restricted to just 11 countries, faces are familiar from edition to edition and also are winners. Many champions in Palembang are carrying a remarkable streak of victories as it is the case of the two Filipino golden medallists, steeplechaser Rene Herrera (five) and long jumper Marestella Torres (four). Also four consecutive triumphs has achieved Thai Theerayut Philakong at the triple jump; while her compatriot Wassana Winatho owns 10 titles, the same than the discus thrower from Singapore James Wong Tuck Yi.  Wong, now 42, first started winning in 1993.  Finally, Vietnamese Truong Thanh Hang and local athlete Triyaningsih have achieved a three peat, grabbing in every occasion at least two titles (1) (2)

Interestingly, all Indonesian victories were accomplished in running events. Their men won every single dash race final with the sole exception of the 800 metres. Sprinter Franklin Ramses Burumi and long distance star Triyaningsih triumphed in no less than three events.  “Si Anak Ajaib” (the wonder girl), as she is known by their countrymen, won previously the 5000 and 10.000 metres in 2007 and 2009 and now have succesfully defended at home, completing a hat trick after winning the marathon too. Three praiseworthy victories in only five days, helped it is true by the lack of any challenging rivalry in the region. The men were as dominant in the distances with Ridwan, Agus Prayogo, Jauhari Johan and Yahuza. And there is also the returned Rini Budiarti, who established a new CR at the steeplechase. Nonetheless the athlete with the biggest progression and more chances to qualify for the Olympics is Triyaningsih.
What could have happened in the hypothetical case the seven times SEA champion, as she ran the Nairobi marathon in 2008 in her only appearance out of the Asia-Pacific area to the date, would have decided to stay in Kenya to be trained by let us say Renato Canova? Would she be right now a potential winner for London or New York majors? Yet her coach is Alwi Mugiyanto and she can just feel proud of that because he has taught her “discipline, piety, humbleness and respect to everybody” (3). Triyaningsih, now 24, comes from Semarang in Central Sumatra as so does Agus Prayogo. It was there where Mugiyanto spotted her as she was 16. In spite of being the younger sister of legendary champion Ruwiyati, Triyaningsih was initially reluctant to embrace a running career. She wanted instead to become a dancer. After talking to her and her parents for long time, Mugiyanto finally convinced the talented younster to move to Java to join Lokomotiv Salatiga athletic club, which is financed by the Railways.

 Triyaningsih is a specially diminutive girl (1,46 and 37 kg), and it is amazing to see how such small frame owns such powerful core. (4) Yet she has been gifted by genetics, trains tirelessly (210 km/ week) and follows a strict diet of vegetables, fish and rice. (5) The Semarang girl gets better as the distance grows. Her track performances out of her SEA paradise have been nothing special, although she showed her talent as she won her semi-final at the last Universiade in Shenzhen. Yet on the roads she can match the very best. Triyaningsih was last year the first Indonesian in winning the Hong Kong marathon; followed this up with a third place at the Jakarta 10 km international race, against a high-class field; and ended the year with a fourth place at the Asian Games marathon, beating among others the Japanese duo Kiyoko Shimahara and Yuri Kano, both of them top-8 finishers at World championship level. In Guangzhou she clocked 2:31:48, a stunning new national record. Despite being the only Indonesian athlete with the A standard, she was not send to Daegu Worlds to concentrate in her triple challenge at the SEA Games. Yet next year nothing is going to interfere between her and her Olympic dream. 

                

Lee Hup Wei, the standout high jumper from Malaysia
Photo: Liu Jin/ AFP/ Getty Images
http://www.sportsnet.ca/gallery/2009/12/17/november172009_gallery/

Indonesia also topped the sprint events in both men and female categories, thanks to new kids in town Franklin Ramses Burumi and Serafi Anelies Unani.  Suryo Agung Wibowo had been the fastest man at the last two editions of the championships, achieving an excellent 10.17 in Vientiane-09. However he was absent in Palembang, due to his pilgrimage to Mecca. Amazingly, Indonesia has quickly found a sensational replacement for Suryo in the 20 year old Franklin Burumi, who went on to win three titles at the 100, 200 metres and eventually in the relay, along with Fernando Lumain, Mohd Fadlin and Farrel Octaviandi, where the latter, in an incredible homestretch leg, pipped at the line Gary Yeo from Singapore team, the silver medallist at the single event. Despite not being an outstanding starter, Franklin won every final in the last decisive strides. His winning time at the 100 metres was a windy 10.37 and his legal PB is for the moment just 10.50. However the new Indonesian star states he feels capable of matching Suryo’s national record in 1 or 2 years. He also talks about running under 10 seconds at the 100 metres event and under 20 at the 200.   

Franklin has proved a charismatic and also rather controversial man. He had been enrolled in every program of development for young athletes but was ultimately dropped because of lack of commitment and discipline. This year he was downgraded again after running a horrible heat at the Asian championships in Kobe, probably due to living the night full time. (6) Yet this time around remembered how he had convinced his parents to leave his native Papua in order to start a serious professional running career. He stopped his bad boy rebel attitude and asked coach Henny Maspaitella to join his training camp in Surabaya. After three months with Maspaitella, Franklin learned self-discipline and reappeared in Palembang as the hero of the Games. Now his humorous, outgoing and energetic personality is highly appreciated. (7) Franklin is always smiling, ready for a joke and as every Papuan he always has a story to tell. His extravagant looks for the Games are also well remembered: his dreadlocks at the 100, transformed in a sort of pigtails for the 200 meter event. “I think my Thai rival fell mentally because of my hair look and lost the race. With this haircut, I feel highly confident and I do not fear anybody” (8)

Also coming from nothing, another Papuan born, Serafi Unani, a law student in Ubaya University, won surprisingly the girl’s 100 metres, beating narrowly well-known sprinters Thai Nongnuch Saenrat and twice defending champion from Vietnam Vu Thi Huong. However her 10.69 clocking is the worst winning time in many editions of the Games, in spite of having a generous tailwind. Because of her youth she should be smashing it soon to try to become one of the top all-Asia sprint specialists. Serafi also pushed her team Indonesia to a excellent silver medal at the 4x100 meter relay, in 45.00, a new national record.  Both Burumi and Unani have curiously become national icons in a moment Papua is being troubled for weeks by violence and unrest, following the killing of four demonstrators in a strike, by the Indonesian police. (9) The victories have been seen for some as a way to solve ethnic and political differences in the country. Franklin said “we will only want peace and security in Papua so let us talk about in an amicable way”, to conclude “we have shown what we can achieve so, please, never underestimate the Papuan people” (10)

Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc, the new South East Asian champion in Race Walking, in company of silver medallist Kay Khaing Myo Tun from Myanmar and bronze medallist Darwati from indonesia.
Photo: Hoài Thu
http://bongdaplus.vn

 Vietnam is the South East Asian country which is experiencing the biggest economic boom in the last couple of years. Accordingly, sports standards are also rising in spectacular fashion, being the foremost exponent gymnast Phan Thi Hà Thanh, who achieved the first medal ever in the speciality for her country at World Championship level, last October in Tokyo. For the Olympics the largest Vietnamese representation in history is expected. To the date, the country has only obtained two silver medals at the Games. Maybe it is the time for the first gold.

In Track and Field the authorities are also investing good money. A long term partnership with Germany has been signed. Vietnam had always had talented youngsters who after some promising results had been lost due to injuries, burn-out or just lack of resources for keeping them in the elite for a long time career. Such are the cases of quarter miler Nguyen Thi Tinh, who ran the distance in a marvellous 51.83 back in 2003, high jumper Bui Thi Nhung, who in 2005 set the existing SEA record with a world class 1.94, her counterpart Nguyen Duy Bang, middle distance specialists Le Van Duong, Nguyen Lan Anh and Do Thi Bong and many others, most belonging to the generation who astonished at the 2003 SEA Games. All of them are sadly gone or in decadence. There were years the coaches trained mostly by intuition and were also improvised masseurs, when the athletes were not giving each other massages.

Since 2009 former decathlon star Uwe Freimuth and Gunther Lange have been invited to work with Vietnamese athletes as technical advisors. (11) Lange had been the first foreign coach in China back in 1987 and was also in charge of Indonesian and Thai runners. Working together with national coaches, Freimuth and Lange have brought expertise and modern methods to the daily training. The first measure adopted was just focusing in one goal: Guangzhou Asian Games, instead of requiring the athletes to win every competition at stake as it had been done in the past. Besides, some Vietnamese coaches were invited for a stage in Germany in order to be formed. Also two doctors from this European nation were assisting the athletes during last year Asian Games. As national coach Ho Thi Tu Tuam admitted, Freimuth and Lange taught marvellous physical and technical lessons and obtained immediate results: two silver and three bronze medals at the Asiad won by Vu Thi Huong, Truong Thanh Hang and Vu Van Huyen. Tuam stated had the two girls been training entirely in Germany for the season they would have surely brought the gold medal from Guangzhou.  
   Further success in the 2010 season was accomplished by the younger generation at the 14th Asian junior championships, where the venue was Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital. Five more medals were grabbed, all of them by the girls: Tran Hue Hoa at the high jump and the 4x400 relay won the silver, and Do Thi Thao at the 800 metres, Nguyen Thi Puong at the steeplechase and Bu Thi Thao at the heptatlon struck bronze. (12)

Supanara Sukhavasti competing in Bressanone at the 2009 World Youth Champs
Photo: Michael Steel/ Getty Images Europe
www.zimbio.com

Indeed Vu Thi Huong and Truong Thanh Hang were based in Germany for the 2011 year but things did not work out exactly as expected. Huong, the Asian indoor title holder and twice defending champion at the SEA Games, awoke her muscle recurring injury while training in Europe and had to sit out the Asian and World Championships. In her first race athletic competition since June we saw a below par Vu Thi Huong in Palembang, just third at the sprint finals well over the 11.34 NR she had set in Vientiane, in a race which was won with 11.69. The Vietnamese federation and Uwe Freimuth blamed each other for the injury: Coach Nguyen Dinh Minh said he was awared before starting it that the training schedule established by Freimuth was likely to injure the athlete.  On the other hand, the former decathlete said he could not finish his job, because he was not allowed to be present at the workouts. The federation said $ 44.000 had been thrown out of the window. (13) Hopefully, Huong will be fully fitted next year to try to reach the 11.28 Olympic standard.
          Truong Thanh Hang was also training for five months in Germany, where the emphasis was made in endurance and tactics. Then, she won the gold medal at the Asian championships in Kobe, yet narrowly missing the London Games standard. Prior to the World championships she moved to Yunnan in China to train in altitude under the supervision of Lange and Lutz Meissner. They stated the preparation had been almost perfect and expected Hang to smash her 2:00.91 national record from Guangzhou, thus qualifying for London, and break into the world top-10. (14)  Eventually, the middle distance specialist, not coping with the pressure, ran arguably her worst 800 metres race in years, finishing dead last in 2:03.52, in heat 4. Curiously, Indian Tintu Luka, who she had beaten easily in both Guangzhou and Kobe, finished ahead in the same heat and booked her Olympic ticket in the semi-final; and her other archrival in the continent, the gold medallist in Guangzhou Margarita Matsko, had reached the standard as well previously in an Asian Grand Prix meeting. Hang defended her 800 and 1500 meter titles in Palembang but she has no match in the SEA area so she was just half-happy, because she still must qualify for London.   

After Vu Thi Huong and Beijing Olympian Nguyen Dinh Cuong, after an injury-plagued campaign, failed to defend their titles, the talented new generation took the spotlight in the second day of the 26^th South East Asian Games. (15) Country girl Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc from the mountainous Hoa Son brought the first enjoyable news of the day, when she surprised soon in the morning reigning champion and hot favourite Kay Khine Myo Thin of Myanmar to win the 20 km race walk. As she crossed the line, Phuc was embraced by her younger brother, Nguyen Thanh Ngung, who was waiting for her after having grabbed the bronze medal at the men’s event in a race won by Malaysian Lo Choon Sieng. The siblings come from a very poor family and had to endure every day a 4 km path through hills and sand to reach school, then to complete hard workouts in hungry days, in an odyssey which remembers many Ethiopian and Kenyan illustrious champions. (16) The tiny Phuc, bearing the Vietnamese flag with her humble riveting smile, was the image of the day and perhaps of the Games for her nation.  

Another hopeful country girl, Duong Thi Viet Anh, followed with a new upset as she defeated the only SEA athlete who had achieved the Olympic standard prior to Palembang, Thai Wanida Boonwan and her compatriot and defending champion Noengrothai Chaiptech, bringing back the title to Vietnam. Precisely, the former two times winner in the event at the SEA Games Bui Thi Nhung prepared Anh and gave her valuable advice to compete. (17) Chaipetch had equalled 1.94 Nhung area record the previous edition in Vientiane with a formidable leap about 4 centimetres over the barrier (which is not bad for a girl whose height is just 1,65) and went on the following winter to win a praiseworthy silver medal at the Asian indoors. Yet this year she has only been able of jumping 1.85. Wanida, who competed at the World championships, could not come close either to her 1.92 vault in Palembang and had to be content with the runner-up position, splitting young Vietnamese Duong Thi Viet Anh and Pham Thi Diem. On the other hand, Anh equalled her 1.90 PB to carry the gold and accomplished again this height two days afterwards at the heptathlon, where she won a second medal, the bronze. She is in the right way to improve just 2 centimetres and book her ticket to the Olympics. Truong Thanh Hang, followed by Asian junior bronze medallist Do Thi Thao did her job and so did decathlete Vu Van Huyen, who is getting better with the years, preceding hopeful Nguyen Van Hue, to complete an awesome session for their country.

More youngsters kept giving a sensational impression in the successive days, showing how bright the future can be for Vietnamese track and field. Another Asian junior medallist, Tran Hue Hoa, now at the triple jump, won the gold with an astounding 13.76 national record in her first senior year, and she has chances too of going to London provided she keeps improving in 2012. Nineteen-year-old Duong Van Thai triumphed at the male 800 metres race and Dao Xan Cuong at the 400 meter hurdles. Steeplechasers Nguyen Thi Puong and Nguyen Dan Duc Bao and long distance girl Pham Thi Binh, all of them born in 1989 or later, also won medals in Palembang.              

Nongnuch Saenrat, Laphassaporn Thavoncharoen, Neeranuch Klomdee and Phatsorn Jaksunikorn, after winning the 4x100 relay final at the 2010 Asian Games
http://www.siamsport.co.th/Sport_Other/101126_125.html

WATCH HERE THE RACE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d682LGfCgrg&feature=related

    If Wanida Boonwan failed to deliver the expected gold medal for Thailand, it did not at the long jump the biggest hope of his country for the years to come; the teen who achieved for Thailand for the first time ever at global level a place of finalist, a medal of any colour and a spot at the top of the podium, on occasion of the World Youth Championships, held in Bressanone, South Tirol. In fact, Supanara Sukhavasti na Ayuthaya accomplished it twice during the contest, winning the long jump event with ease, then grabbing as well the silver medal at the triple jump. Besides, Supanara enjoyed his chance of meeting IAAF ambassador Mike Powell, the man who achieved the longest jump in history, who was in Bressanone for a conference. Supanara, who is reported to watch Powell´s world record every day, stated: “one day I will be like him.” (18) Thailand has not won to the date an Olympic gold medal in athletics either but who knows if this man who is the fifth generation of King Rama IV is predestined to accomplished it one day.
  A native of Chiang Mai, he was brought by his teacher at 15 to the capital to be trained by Ekkawit Sawangphol and is the first product that comes to notoriety from the youth development program launched by Thailand Athletics Association in partnership with the IAAF. (18) (19) Supanara already jumped 7.96 in his breakthrough year of 2009, which was a national record in all categories. Besides the World Youth Champs, he would also win that season at the SEA Games both senior and junior (ASEAN). In the following year, because of an injury at the World Junior championship in Moncton, he was not as astounding, finishing only fifth at the Asiad and losing the Asian junior championships to Taiwanese Lin Ching-Hsuan, the man who represented his country last September in Daegu. In 2011 he is back again to full fitness: only Su Xiongfen, the best long jumper in the continent, could beat him at the Asian Championships in Kobe, where he landed at his for the moment PB of 8.05. After a praiseworthy 6^th place at the Universiade, Supanara defended his South East Asian title, beating again former champion Henry Dagmil of Philippines. Thailand seems now unbreakable at the male horizontal jumps in the region, with also Theerayut Philakong dominating the triple jump since 2005. A pity, Thitima Muangjan is not at the same level she reached two years ago when she was the victor with 14.08.

Still younger than Supanara Sukhavsti is the new champion at the discus throw Subenrat Insaeng, born in 1994. She disappointed at last World Youths in Lille but last year finished in a remarkable fifth place at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games and second at the Asian Junior championship, aged sixteen. Somewhat, Insaeng covers the emptiness created by the untimely retirement of javelin thrower Buoban Phamang, who has sustained for more than two years a shoulder injury. Phamang, another teen prodigy, winner of four SEA Games, the first one in 2001, when she was only 17, obtained her biggest triumphs at the 2006 Asian Games and at the Universiade, held in Bangkok one year later, with a world class 61.40. She represented Thailand at Beijing Olympic Games.

If Subenrat Insaeng was the youngest winner in Palembang, her male counterpart, James Wong Tuck Yim was the oldest of the competitors. The first of his ten titles (nine at the discus throw and one at the shot put) was won one year before Subenrat was born. Notwithstanding, the fact the Singaporean great and her compatriot Guirong Zhang are not matched yet, in spite they are far from their younger years level, only proves the poor standards at the SEA area in throwing events. 

Duong Thi Viet Anh from Vietnam wins the High Jump final at the SEA Games,
after leaping 1.90, a new personal best
http://baobaclieu.vn

 For years, the event Thailand can feel proud about its results at international level is the 4x100 relay in both male and female categories. Amazingly, the region powerhouse does not obtain many individual victories at the dash sprints, not even at SEA Games level. It is true Laphassaporn Thavoncharoen won the gold at the 200 metres in Palembang but for the closest in time single victory we have to return back to 2003, when Thailand completed a 1-2 at the 100 metres, thanks to Neeranut Klomdee and the same Thavonchroen. The last occasion the men achieved it was in 2005 in Manila when Wachara Sondee and Sittichai Suwonprateep clinched the 100 and 200 titles respectively. It is surprising a country which never has been able of ranking one of its athletes into the top-100 at the world yearly lists got to qualify both teams for Beijing Olympics, but the relay result is not necessarily the addition of the marks of its four team members. The US male 4x100 has much to say about it, after dropping the baton at three consecutive major competitions, and ultimately dropping also their man on the ground in Daegu.

Thailand works carefully the changeovers and every aspect of the race to reach levels of technical perfection. Also the members of the teams do not change too much and it helps. Actually in the girl’s case they do not change at all: Phatsorn Jaksunikorn, Neeranut Klomdee, Laphassaporn Thavoncharoen and Nongnuch Saenrat met for the first time at the 2003 Asian championships in Manila, which they won, and have performed together almost in every important competition since 2005. You can guess they know each other pretty well and can deliver the baton to their mate eyes close. Maybe the achievement they can feel more proud was last year when they beat the strong Chinese and Japanese quartets at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, after the drama of being disqualified in the precedent edition. (20) (21) Yet, experience can be a double-edged sword. The awesome foursome girls are entering their thirties and hopefuls Jinthara Seangdee and Tassaporn Wannakit are not progressing enough. Despite winning their 15^th straight title at the SEA Games the Thai squad seems unlikely to replicate their 43.38 national record, which bound them to Beijing, in order to qualify again for the Olympics.

For their men counterparts the crisis has already arrived. The current combination of veteran Wachara Sondee and Sompote Suwanangsri with youngster Jirapong Meenapra and Supachai Chimdee does not seem to work out enough. After having beaten the powerhouse Japan at two straight Asian Games in 2002 and 2006, they have only been able lately of medalling at one of the last three Area major competitions. It is true the 4x100 standards in the continent are now really amazing with no less than 8 national teams under 39.50 in the last three seasons and 4 more below 40.00, but this is not an excuse. Even their 13^th finals winning streak at the SEA Games came to an end in Palembang, although with the hindrance of Chimdee’s hamstring injury during the race, which made the team decelerate.  


  Thailand wins scarcely at single flat sprint events but does not have much trouble in clinching hurdle titles. Jumrut Rittidet is the individual with the best chances for going to the Olympics, besides Supanara. Still 22, he is improving every year. Already in the final last year at the Asiad, in 2011 he lost narrowly the bronze medal in Kobe.  He has ended the season defending successfully his SEA title, beating former champions from Malaysia Rayzamshah Wan Sofian and Mohd Robani Hassan in a new national record 13.77. Still further improvement is needed to reach the London standard. 

 

Wassana Winatho (L) and Wallapa Pungsoongneun (R) elated after
their awesome performance at the 100 meter hurdles
at the 2011 SEA Games
Photo: Achmad Ibrahim
http://newshopper.sulekha.com

  At the women’s high hurdles, Wallapa Pungsoongneun got the better of reigning champion, and Indonesian representative in Daegu, Dedeh Erawati. Her compatriot Wassana Winatho, grabbed a second medal for Thailand: the bronze. Wassana, which is also called Amornrat, also struck the silver medal at the intermediate hurdles, after evergreen Malaysian Noraseela Mohd Khalid, and the gold at the heptathlon.    
 Wassanee Winatho is the most decorated active athlete at the SEA Games with a total of 10 gold, 4 silvers and 2 bronzes. Besides she has climbed at the top of the podium in four different events: 400 metres, 400 meter hurdles, the heptathlon and the 4x400 meter relay. Wassanee has been part of the continent elite ever since her senior debut at the 1998 Asian Games, where she narrowly missed a medal at the heptathlon. Overcoming her economically humble background, a string of injuries and bad lack, she has enjoyed a long and successful career.  Indeed, as she said, the best thing to do is keep studying and practising athletics in order to get to help one day your family (22) Her best season was 2007 when she clinched a hat trick of victories at the SEA Games in Nakhon Ratchasima at the intermediate hurdles, long relay and heptathlon, where she set four PBs for an overall score of 5889, a new national record, which qualified her for Beijing Olympics.  Currently she is the reigning Asian champion in combined events, both indoors and outdoors and as such was present at the World Championships in Daegu.

If Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam lived up to the expectations at the 26^th SEA Games and even went beyond of them, not the same can be said about Philippines and Malaysia’s performances. However, while Indonesia’s government, because of being the host country, made a great effort to help their athletes arrive in the best condition to the Games and Vietnam’s economical optimism is bringing to healthy transformations in sport, Filipino and Malaysian athletes training facilities and management attitude were far from ideal and that influenced decisively the final results.

Philippines, who had won seven gold medals in the precedent edition in Laos, and up to eleven during their golden age in the 80s, went down to two: Veteran Rene Herrera at the steeplechase and Marestella Torres at the long jump. Some blamed on an inferiority complex (“pwede na”) which is increasingly dominant in a Filipino society used to lag behind their Asian neighbours in culture, economy or sports, in recent years. (23) For instance, Philippines is well known as the nation with most medals (exactly nine), which has never won an Olympic gold. No less than nine were also the runner-up positions in Palembang.

Other opinions are less idiosyncratic: Field athletes were forced to do a true pilgrimage in search of a place to train, once they were removed from Rizal stadium and Philsports Arena, now converted into football venues. Marestella and company shifted to Baguio, then Dugamete, finally La Laguna. It was the same kind of situation the long jumper champion had pointed out the year before, stating her failure at the Asian Games had to do with the shabby conditions in which she had completed at home her sharpening for Guangzhou, after returning from her first phase of training abroad. (23) Other athletes as throwers Danilo Fresnido and Arniel Ferrera denounced the lack of basic supplies as shoes and vitamins, which they had to afford with their own means. (24)  

Serafi Anelies Unani, enjoys her victory
 at the South East Asian Games 100 metres final
http://www.ubaya.ac.id

      Marestella Torres, who had won brilliantly at  the Asian Championships and established a sensational national record of 6.68 at the SEA Games the year before, fouled five out of her six attempts at the Asiad, to end up a disappointing fourth. She spoke about too much sacrifice for nothing and announced her retirement from sport. Fortunately, the national federation convinced her to continue. Overcoming the obstacles she brought her best version to Palembang: Marestella secured her fourth title in her very first try, landing 6.65 metres beyond the board, before sealing her ticket to London Olympics with a scintillating fly of 6.71, a new championship record and by far the best performance of the whole 2011 SEA Games (25). Two promising jumpers, Indonesian Maria Natalia Londa and Marestella´s compatriot Katherine Kay Santos struck the minor medals.
          The Philippines continue with its stunning dominance at the long jump event, which they have won at the South East Asian Games since 1983, with the only exception of the 2003 edition.  Marestella Torres is keeping on the tradition of legends Elma Muros (8 long jump titles and 15 overall), Lydia de Vega (8 victories at 4 different events and SEA Games 100 metres record holder, since 1987) and Lerma Gabito.  Now the champion in Palembang sees her 21-year-old protégée Katherine Santos as the one with the talent to become her heir in the years to come.  Katherine recognised she was too nervous in her debut but at least achieved a new PB, jumping 6.25 (26)  She will have new chances to prove her abilities.        


  No matter their officials were content with the 6 gold medals harvest in Palembang, it is fair to recognise Malaysia athletics had known better years. There is nothing really to compare with the promising generational relay among the Vietnamese fields, except the coincidence Malaysian athletes are also based in Germany for some months of the year. National track and field main names remain the same: Lee Hup Wei, Roslinda Samsu and 32-year-old Noraseela Mohd Khalid.

The high jumper alternates ups and downs, while the pole vaulter reached her peak in 2006 and has not progressed further since. Both circumstances have sometimes been linked to their experience with their coaches. Lee Hup Wei grew up as a jumper with Cuban Antonio Yznaga Ibar but his results dropped dramatically when the coach had to return to his country early in 2008 due to illness. Then another man from the same nation, Jorge Luis Alfaro was chosen as a replacement and soon Lee set a 2.27 new national record. Roslinda Samsu was discovered as she was sixteen by Mohd Mansahar Abdul Jalil but later joined more fancied Gennady Potapovich. Being pupil of the Russian she jumped a remarkable 4.40 as she was 24, raising high hopes but she would not repeat the feat again so the Malaysian federation decided to stop Potapovich’s collaboration and Roslinda returned to her former coach Jalil.     

They represented Malaysia at Beijing Olympic Games. Both were unchallenged at the SEA area and reigning Asian champions but neither Lee nor Roslinda could make the final. With the pole vaulter in crisis of results and the high jumper injured, hurdler Rayzhamshah Wan Sofian and sprinters Norjanna Hafiszah Jamaludin and Hadi Mohd Nor Imran have replaced them at World championships, without special impact.   
 Notwithstanding, for the SEA Games in Indonesia the old warriors were back.  Roslinda Samsu, who had been more focused in her studies during the year, surprised herself jumping 4.20 to get the better of her challenging long-time rival Le Thi Puong.  She dedicated the victory to her coach Jalil, who had survived a heart attack and had just had the time to come to support her. (27) Also Lee Hup Wei, in his first outing of the year after a complicated foot ligament surgery, (28) Noraseela, coming as well from injury and a weak season, and hammer throw defending champion Tan Song Hwa, who competed with a slipped disc, (27) they all proved they know how to win when it matters most, despite not being fully fitted.  Meanwhile, Rayzhamshah was easily beaten by Thai Rittidet, Jamaludin, member of the 4x100 female relay which last year beat the old national record and SEA season leader with 11.60, was far from her best, and Nor Imran ended in a poor sixth place...                 

Franklin Ramses Burumi, all smiles after his victory at the 100 metres event in Palembang
Photo: AP/ Achmad Ibrahim
http://newshopper.sulekha.com/

  Nevertheless the only upcoming athletes able to provide a breath of fresh air to Malaysian track and field were left at home. It was not, as some outsiders thought, that no individual quarter miler was entered for the 400 metres in order to focus in the relay performance. What really happened was they were never considered to make the trip to Palembang and they were included in the last moment only because of the insistence of their coach Jayabalan. (27)  Maybe it was not asking too much when the SEA leader of the year was a Malaysian athlete, Panerselvam Yuvaaraj; the reigning individual champion, Mohd Zafril Zuslaini, though not available, was also born in the country; and the 4x400 relay had been SEA victor in 2007 and silver medallist two years later. Anyway, the four aspiring quarter milers were required to undergo a trial two weeks before in order to test their capacities. Eventually the MAAU (Malaysian Athletics Federation) put them in a flight on the eve of their event, on 13th November, without their coach. The single 400 metres event had been won that same day by Indonesian Heru Astriyanto in 47.53, a clocking inferior to Yuvaaraj seasonal best (47.37) but this one and his mates Subramaniam Kannathassan, Schzuan Ahmad Rosely and Muhamad Yunus Lasaleh were still up for a challenge in the relay.

In a groundbreaking demonstration of power the Malaysians won the race from gun to tape in 3:10.49, leaving Philippine, Indonesian and Thai teams well behind. Yet this victory came as a big surprise for the MAAU, who had already booked their return tickets for the same day of the event. The athletes had to come back home before the medal presentation ceremony in the most absolute lack of sensitivity and respect towards them. (27) This injustice raised the anger of mates as Noraseela Mohd Khalid: “This is shameful. It breaks my heart to see the relay boys flying home without collecting their medals. How do you think they must feel? Is this the way to treat those who bring the glory for the nation? How is athletics in Malaysia ever going to improve if those in power only care about themselves and not for the athletes? ” Noraseela also talked about internal power struggles inside MAAU, missing dope tests, irresponsible coaches, athletes quitting sport in disgust, favouritism, lack of planning, athletes abandoned when they are injured…  

The four 4x400 meter champions felt frustrated because of the unfair treatment, but at the same time were glad to prove some people wrong. They had come to Palembang with an extra motivation, with no nerves in spite there were three rookies in the team. They just ran like men possessed to show what they were capable of... 

       Next stop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in two years time. 
               See you then!!! 

http://www.adriansprints.com/2011/11/video-4x400m-sea-games-2011-malaysia.html
   Video courtesy of Sha    http://www.youtube.com/user/singaporeathletics
            Most 26th SEA Games FINALS are available  HERE

 http://seag2011.com/
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_at_the_2011_Southeast_Asian_Games
(2) http://www.iaaf.org/news/newsid=62946.html
(3) http://radarlampung.co.id/read/all-sport/sea-games-xxv/3629-butuh-setahun-untuk-bujuk-jadi-pelari

(4) http://us.detiksport.com/read/2009/12/21/174513/1263863/82/triyaningsih-awalnya-perlu-dirayu
(5) http://us.sport.vivanews.com/news/read/264907-triyaningsih--saya-lari-210-km-tiap-pekan
 (6) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/19/franklin-ramses-burumi-papuan-bad-boy-turned-games-hero.html

(7) http://koran-jakarta.com/index.php/detail/view01/76502
(8) http://us.detiksport.com/read/2011/11/15/041106/1767379/1297/rambut-baru-bikin-franklin-makin-pede?s991101mainnews
(9) http://noticias.univision.mobi/article.html?nafurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedsyn.univision.com%2FcontentXml%3Fcid%3D753853%26contentType%3Darticle%26partner%3Dmia
(10) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/11/16/glittering-stars-troubled-resource-rich-land.html

(11) http://en.baomoi.com/Info/Another-look-at-Vietnams-track-and-field/10/111220.epi
(12) http://en.www.info.vn/sports-and-entertainment/more-sports/12640-the-hope-of-vietnams-athletics.html
(13) http://www.dztimes.net/post/culture/officials-expert-trade-blame-for-athlete-injury.aspx
(14) http://www.dztimes.net/post/culture/hang-looks-to-set-fresh-standards.aspx
(15) http://clip.vn/watch/Duong-Thi-Viet-Anh-chan-thuong-van-nhay-qua-1m90,hXfr?fm=search

(16) http://tin.soha.vn/bao/hai_chi_em_thanh_ngung_thanh_phuc_cua_hiem_o_dien_kinh-kILBLMW6X.htm

(17) http://seagames.vnexpress.net/tin/mon-khac/2011/11/duong-thi-viet-anh-chan-thuong-van-nhay-qua-1m90/
(18) http://www.iaaf.org/WYC09/news/newsid=51804.html

(19) http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/19276/

(20) http://www.siamsport.co.th/Sport_Other/101126_125.html

(21) http://www.oknation.net/blog/canthai/2010/11/26/entry-6
(22) http://news.sanook.com/sport/sport_225142.php

(23) http://rustychain.wordpress.com/tag/cojuangco/
(24) http://pinoymiler.wordpress.com/
(25) http://www.tempo.com.ph/2011/torres-towers/#.Tsq_RLL7hqc

(26) http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/seag-long-jump-champ-torres-takes-promising-santos-under-her-wing

(27) http://bjss-athletics.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html

(28) http://news.faisunan.com/author/nst-online-sports/page/10/

 

With eight months to go, 4x400 qualified Teams for London nearly Decided



LaShawn Merritt anchors the 4x400 US team to gold in Daegu
Photo: AP/ Anja Niedringhaus
http://sports.ca.msn.com


         After the brilliant performances achieved by Cuban, Dominican and Venezuelan teams, all of them under 3:01.00 at the recent Pan American Games, the 16 squads which are going to compete next year at the 4x400 relay event for London Olympic Games are almost decided, with still 8 months and a half to go.   
         The 2010 season was a quite remarkable one. Firstly, it was one of the best in history from the statistical point of view, with no less than 15 nations dipping under 3:02.00. (1) Secondly, the United States, overwhelming dominator of the event for decades, struggled to defend their title. Jamaica and South Africa were keeping the lead until the final homestretch, where the reappeared LaShawn Merritt, in a class of his own, could fix the weak performance of some of his teammates, overcoming Leford Green and L.J. Van Zyl. (1) As an indication, The US 4x400 relay has not been beaten on the track in a World Championship (not counting disqualifications, because of Antonio Pettigrew’s drug use confession, years afterwards) since Tokyo’s 1991 edition, were they lost narrowly to Great Britain.  At the Olympics, the streak dates back to 1972 in Munich, where Kenya accomplished a sensational victory.  Equally outstanding is their stranglehold at the single event, with two straight clean sweeps of the medals at the last two Olympics Games. The last man who could defeat the United States quarter milers was Cuban prodigy Alberto Juantorena, as far as Montreal 1976. 

         Notwithstanding, this year we have assisted to the rising to stardom of Grenadian Kirani James, new world champion at 19, and we have also witnessed how the United States have failed to produce a convincing squad for Daegu.  Jeremy Wariner has not been the same since Merritt had the better of him at Beijing Olympics and lost his number one status. Then the revelation of the year Tony McQuay, who had sensationally won the national trials, was far from his best fitness, after a long NCAA season. Finally, Greg Nixon and Jamaal Torrance were also unable to advance to the finals. Only, the defending champion, LaShawn Merritt, who had been back to competition only one month before the worlds after his doping hiatus, could save the honour of his country.

After seeing their weak performance at the single 400 metres, the head coach dropped McQuay and Torrance for the relay final, having to ask the help of experienced intermediate hurdlers Bershawn Jackson and Angelo Taylor, who besides had not done better than 6^th and 7^th at their specialist event. Also was dropped Mike Berry, who had run 44.0 in his semi-final leg; a decision which was proved wrong.  Still, the USA struck narrowly the gold medal, but they did it scoring the worst clocking for a winning team since the USSR won the inaugural edition of the championships in 1983. Their 2:59.31 would had earned them just a 5^th place at last Olympic Games and was just 12 hundredths of a second better than the mark Cuba (absent in Daegu) achieved at the Pan Ams.  
Specially one team was supposed to have the talent to enjoy this opportunity to produce a major upset: the Bahamas. Yet, the 2001 world champions and current Olympic silver medallists, failed for the second time in a row in reaching a major final. They had been disqualified in Berlin and, this time around in Daegu, the team who had won gold in Mayagüez at the Central American Championships, was good enough just for 4^th in their heat. Bahamas’ best two 400 meter specialists of the moment, Chris Brown and Demetrius Pinder, had been reserved, taking for granted they would qualify for the final. Yet the competition had a deepest field than expected and, otherwise, veteran Avard Moncur, Andrae and Latoy Williams had not run under 46 seconds in the whole season. Hopefully, they will not repeat the same wrong in London, where they should be a strong contender for the medals.

Two other squads which disappointed in Daegu were the United Kingdom and Australia, the respective silver and bronze medallists at the precedent edition. The latter team did not even reach the final and the former just finished in a poor 7^th place. Yet their members were far from their Berlin fitness.  For the Aussies, 18-year-old Steven Solomon were the big news, winning the national championships in a remarkable 45.58, but Tristan Thomas was just back from injury and Sean Wroe and Ben Offereins had a week season. For the British, as strange as it could sound in a country with so many accomplished 400 runners (Rooney, Bingham, Steel, Buck, Tobin, Strachan, Lennon-Ford, Levine, Clarke…) nobody was able of achieving the A standard for Daegu. Martyn Rooney recognised he had wrongly focused too much his training in speed; the European silver medallist Michael Bingham had a year to forget and so on.  

Oscar Pistorius passes the baton to Ofentse Mogawane at the 4x400 heats
in Daegu World Championships
Photo: Stu Forster/ Getty Images Asia Pac
www.zimbio.com

On the other hand, the most grateful surprise of the championships was South Africa, a team which rarely had went through the heats before. This time they must devoted in preparing consciously their relay for the upcoming challenges, because their sprinters of the 4x100 won at the Universiade and their quarter milers ended the summer with a stunning silver medal in Daegu.  South Africa had traditionally been a country of excellent hurdlers but now they have a bunch of awesome specialists at the dash event too: Louis Van Zyl (44.86 this year), Oscar Pistorius (45.07), Lebogang Moen (45.47), Ofentse Mogawane (45.59), Willie de Beer (45.68)… Nevertheless, there was a huge controversy, when double amputee Oscar Pistorius was left out of the final, despite reaching the semi-finals at the single event and being the man with the second best mark of the team for the season. South Africa’s delegate stated it was due to technical reasons and Van Zyl said, more precisely, he had done the slowest split of the team in the heats, what was proved not true. (3) Pistorius, who had not been named either for the team who achieved the standard for Daegu, seems an embarrassing case for his country.   

Jamaica was back to the medals in a world championship, thanks to the stunning second leg ran by Jermaine Gonzales, a 4^th placer some days before at the single event, despite fighting injuries throughout the season. The Caribbean country can count now also with solid runners as Central American hurdler titleholder Leford Green and rising star national champion Riker Hylton. With the addition of the now injured Ricardo Chambers (44.54 PB last year) they will be fighting for a medal again in London.

This year 16 out of 19 quarter milers who have dipped under 45 seconds are American, 10 of them from Caribbean countries, which keep being the powerhouse in the event.  Besides Jamaica and the Bahamas, four other nations in the Area are likely to be represented in London: Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The former country achieved their seasonal best at the Central American Championships, where they finished in runner-up position. Berlin bronze medallist Rennie Quow had a difficult year and so did Jehue Gordon, the other former World junior champion. With both fitted for the Olympics, and two other young runners as Lalonde Gordon and Zwede Hewitt (both 45.51 this season), they have the potential to challenge the best.


Cuba's 4x400 relay leads Venezuela at 2011 Pan American Games
http://juegospanamericanos.ain.cu

Cuba, Dominican Republic and Venezuela probably booked their London ticket at last Pan American Games, helped by the altitude of Guadalajara. Cuba’s outstanding performance under 3 minutes was built up with the contribution of William Collazo, one of the most consistent 400 runners in the region, Noel Ruiz and hurdler Omar Cisneros, who had dipped under 48 seconds for the first time in his career some days before. London Games will probably be the last ones for living legend Félix Sánchez and he will try to grab a last medal for his outstanding curriculum.  Now they can add for the Dominican squad, to the classic members Arismendy Peguero and Yoel Tapia, youth Olympic champion Luguelín Santos, who has already improved the national senior record (44.71), when he finished a surprising second in Guadalajara, after Nery Brenes. Finally Venezuelan’s is the team with the biggest progression in the Caribbean region.  Their most accomplished athlete is Omar Longart, an Area champion in youth and junior categories.    

     Another country which 4x400 relay team has had a huge progression in recent years is Kenya.  While distance running has grown in the country so much, other specialties where Kenya used to excel in the past, as sprint events, had been neglected. The East African nation had struck a stunning silver medal at the 4x400 event at the Olympic Games held in Mexico in 1968, in a team where Daniel Rudisha, the father of the current 800 metres world champion, was featuring. Then they improved to gold four years afterwards. The squad kept a high level in the 80s and early 90s: Samson Kitur medalled at both Olympic Games (1992) and World championships (1993). In the latter occasion, a second place in the relay was also achieved, besides three finalists at the single event.

Kenya’s officials pointed out they wanted to win medals in something more than distance running at the 2010 African championships held at home, and put the means for it. As consequence a visible improvement in short and long sprints was attained and even lately, the nation has had a javelin throw champion at last African Games in Maputo. The 4x400 squad has dominated easily in both Nairobi and Maputo contests, has achieved a bronze medal at Delhi Commonwealth Games, and ultimately has qualified, many years afterwards, for a World championship final in Daegu, leaving out favourites Bahamas, Poland and Australia.  No big individualities are in the team currently but Anderson Mutegi, Vincent Kosgei, Vincent Mumo and Mark Mutai are all of them quite solid runners, and who knows if the great David Rudisha is going to join them for London.     

In the Old Continent, the most accomplished squads right now are Russia and Belgium. The latter has the astonishing Borlée brothers, the only athletes who dare to challenge currently the American supremacy at the 400 metres discipline. At team level Belgium has been in every major final since Beijing Olympics, medalling at last European and World indoor championships. However, since Van Branteghem retired, the team lacks two other members comparable to the two leaders in order to be able of targetting a big victory. Ghislain, Duerinck or Gillet can not hold the game well enough as was evident in Daegu.

On the other hand, Russia do not have any world beater but count with many consistent runners for the relay as Alekseyev, Trenikhin, Krasnov or Dyldin, so they could beat Belgium and Great Britain in Barcelona and carried the last two European team championship gold medals too. Poland and Germany are two other squads who do not have any man under 45 seconds (their best this year are Marciniszyn with 45.27 and Schneider with 45.56 respectively) but know how to handle a relay when it matters most. Both of them will be in London aiming for a place in the final. Finally France was impressive at last European indoors held at Paris, which they won, but without their main star Leslie Djhone, injured for the summer season, their potential has diminished considerably.



Belgian, Kenyan and Russian teams, anchored by Kevin Borlée, Mark Mutai and Denis Alekseyev respectively, qualify for the 4x400 relay final at Daegu World Championships
Photo: Stu Forster/ Getty Images Asia Pac
www.zimbio.com

        Japan is the nation which currently holds the 16^th and last qualifying spot in the aggregate of its best two times of 2011.  The Asian champion places no less than 11 athletes into the yearly lists top-100 at the 400 hurdles but only two, Yuzo Kanemaru (27^th) and Hideyuki Hirose (91^st) at the dash event. Their average time in the aggregate for London is 3:03.68, but Australia, not in the 16^th best list, owns a 3:01.56 from Daegu and is likely to improve on the Japanese clocking next year. A further progression is also expected from France, so right now the time to beat might be the 3:02.75 of Venezuela. For Beijing Olympics the last qualifying team had been South Africa with an average of 3:04.12 for its aggregate time. So we can see how the event has risen up its standards.

 Not many squads have the potential to aim for this 3:02.75 average time and there are not many occasions to achieve it: mainly Penn Relays, Helsinki European Championships, Benin African Championships and the three Asian Grand Prix meetings.  Saudi Arabia won in 2010 the Asian Games in a 3:02.30 national record but this season they are really far from it.  In Europe, the only other team who has run under 3:04 this year is Turkey. Besides Kenya, two other African nations, Nigeria and Botswana have been traditionally present at major championships, the former even achieving medals. They have not done better than 3:04+ marks in 2011 but are going to try hard next year, as Botswana did in 2008, when they even travelled to the Asian Grand Prix in Hanoi, the last qualifying meeting for Beijing.  In America, Puerto Rico and specially Grenada have some chances of making the trip to London.  There are not big championships in the area next year but Kirani James and Rondell Bartholomew’s country can be invited to the Penn Relays as they were in 2011, but they need two other world class runners to achieve twice this highly challenging 3:02.75.  Anyway, it would be a great show to see the two Grenadian aces competing in London also at the 4x400 meter relay.   

							Aggregate		Average
1	United States		2:58,82		2:59,31		5:58,13		2:59,06
2	South Africa		2:59,21		2:59,87		5:59,08		2:59,54
3	Jamaica		2:59,13		3:00,10		5:59,23		2:59,61
4	Russia		3:00,22		3:00,81		6:01,03		3:00,51
5	Belgium		3:00,41		3:00,71		6:01,12		3:00,56
6	Great Britain		3:00,38		3:01,16		6:01,54		3:00,77
7	Germany		3:00,68		3:01,37		6:02,05		3:01,03
8	Kenya		3:00,97		3:01,15		6:02,12		3:01,06
9	Bahamas		3:01,33		3:01,54		6:02,87		3:01,44
10	Cuba		2:59,43		3:04,33		6:03,76		3:01,88
11	Trinidad and Tobago		3:01,65		3:02,47		6:04,12		3:02,06
12	Dominican Republic		3:00,44		3:04,10		6:04,54		3:02,27
13	Poland		3:01,84		3:03,62		6:05,46		3:02,73
14	Venezuela		3:00,82		3:04,67		6:05,49		3:02,75
15	France		3:03,63		3:03,68		6:07,31		3:03,65
16	Japan		3:02,64		3:04,72		6:07,36		3:03,68
17	Grenada		3:04,27		3:04,69		6:08,96		3:04,48
18	Turkey		3:03,92		3:05,32		6:09,24		3:04,62
19	Nigeria		3:04,99		3:05,26		6:10,25		3:05,12
20	Botswana		3:04,39		3:05,92		6:10,31		3:05,15

(1) http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/listhtm.php?Season=2011&top=all&All=1&Ind=0

(2) http://daegu2011.iaaf.org/NewsEventReportsListDetail.aspx?id=62094
(3) http://www.letsrun.com/2011/day7worlds-0902.php