Indonesia Cycling Union (ISSI) vice president Sofyan Ruzian on Tuesday said the federation has allotted $65,000 for the training camp, which will run from August to October and is partially supported by the Australian cycling federation.
“We have already made arrangements with Cycling Australia so our cyclists can use its facilities,” Sofyan said. “Training in Australia will be beneficial for our athletes. We believe they will learn a lot as they hope to improve their performance before the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China [in November].”
“Another reason we chose Australia is there are more cycling events being held there. Such exposure will certainly give our riders more experience,” he added.
Indonesia, which failed to win a medal in the 2006 Asiad in Doha, Qatar, will compete in all three cycling events in Guangzhou — road race, track and BMX.
Tonton Susanto and Ryan Ariehaant Hilmant will compete in men’s road race, while Uyun Muzizah and Santia Tri Kusuma are listed in women’s track.
The ISSI is also fielding Tony Syarifudin, Puguh Admadi and Risa Suseanty in the BMX competition, which will debut in the Asian Games.
Sofyan did not reveal what the federation’s medal target was, but said the squad has a good chance for a podium finish in the track and BMX events.
National team coach Nur Rochman said 29-year-old Santia had the potential to win the gold in her event.
Santia earned a bronze in the 2002 Asian Games in South Korea, but failed to win a medal in the 2006 event. Her last victory came at the 2009 Asian Championships in East Kalimantan, where she won the omnium event.
“Santia has shown a lot of improvement during our training camp in Solo and I think she has a good chance to win the gold in the points race event,” Nur told state news agency Antara.
BMX coach Dadang Haries Poernomo said his riders have produced impressive results internationally and looked forward to winning a medal in the Asiad.
Tony won the Fisherman’s Friend BMX Championship in Thailand on Sunday, while Puguh finished third.
“The results will surely boost their confidence for the Games,” Dadang said.
0 comments: on "Asian Games Team to Train Down Under"
Post a Comment