World junior sprint champion Zohri becomes face of Indonesia’s Games
‘I feel very proud and thankful’
JAKARTA, July 30, (RTRS): Just over a year ago, Indonesian sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri could barely afford running shoes and was pretty much unknown outside his small village on the eastern island of Lombok.
That all changed in 10.18 seconds earlier this month when the 18-yearold orphan produced a blistering finish to beat the cream of the planet’s junior sprinting talent in the 100 metres final at the under-20 world championships in Finland.
Indonesia had never previously had a finalist at the championships, let alone a world junior champion, and Zohri has quickly become burdened with the hopes of a nation ahead of their hosting of the Asian Games.
Zohri’s sudden rise to the status of
To win gold in the 100 metres on the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium track next month, however, he is likely to have to beat Nigerian-born Qatari Femi Ogunade and Chinese sprinters Su Bingtian and Xie Zhenye, all of whom have run under 10 seconds.
“Lalu is a tough competitor. Given how fast he is running at 18, with training he has the capacities to break the 10-second barrier,” said US coach Harry Marra, who trained decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton and is advising the Indonesia Athletics team.
Indonesia Athletics Association chairman Bob Hasan agrees, but is not sure the Asian Games is the right stage for such a fledgling talent.
“We are still deciding with Lalu’s coaches whether it might be better to have him run in the junior Asian Games,” Hasan told Reuters.
“He is still very young. We nearly didn’t get the visa for him to go to Finland. We had to provide him with a guarantee because his parents are no more.”
Hasan said Zohri, who lost his parents when he was a child, had struggled with the food in Finland, leading to the Indonesian Ambassador driving two hours a day to bring over rice and home cooked meals for him.
Zohri has already become an icon in his home village of Karang Pangsor where the sandy coastline provided him with his first training track.
“I ran barefoot on the beach, in the water with water up to my calves. I never wanted to give up,” he recalled.
A billboard celebrating his world title now adorns the entrance to the village, a triumph neighbours and relatives gathered in front of the family home to watch on TV.
“From the beginning I saw that this boy is very agile and his posture and limbs are superior compared to his friends,” said Rosidah, the former sports teacher who discovered him.
Zohri
race of the meet,” said Kalisz, who was disappointed with his winning time in the 400m IM two days earlier. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to go 1:55.”
Abrahm DeVine was second in 1:57.41 while Gunnar Bentz and Andrew Seliskar tied for third in 1:58.23.
Kalisz, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the 400m IM, swept the medleys at the World Championships in Budapest last year.
He said he was looking forward to the Pan Pacs, where his 200m competition could include Japan’s Kosuke Hagino and Daiya Seto and China’s Wang Shun.
The Pan Pacs are the biggest international meet for US swimmers this year, and also another qualifier for next year’s World Championships in South Korea.
Olympic 100m free gold medalist Simone Manuel completed a freestyle sprint sweep with a victory in the 50m in 24.10sec, breaking the US Open record wet by Australia’s Cate Campbell in 2008.
“I’m happy with that,” said Ma-
nuel, who led all the way.
Abbey Weitzeil was second in 24.63 and Margo Geer third in 24.79.
Michael Andrew, 19, sprinted to his fourth title of the week in the men’s 50m free, besting a field stacked with world and Olympic champions with a time of 21.49sec.
Caeleb Dressel, who won the 50m free at Budapest as part of a seven-gold World Championships haul, was second in 21.67 and Nathan Adrian, the 2012 Olympics 100m free gold medalist, was third in 21.85.
“Last one, fast one,” Andrew, a former age group phenomenon who turned pro at 14, said after a meet that saw him qualify for his first senior international championships.
He had already won the 50m butterfly and breaststroke and the 100m breaststroke.
Ashley Twichell swims to victory in the Women’s 1,500-meter Freestyle Final during day 5 of the Phillips 66 National Swimming Championships at
the Woollett Aquatics Center on July 29, in Irvine, California. (AFP)
“Being on the team, there was no pressure,” he said of the 50 free. I could race completely free. I wanted to see what I was capable of.”
Kathleen Baker, still riding high on the excitement of breaking the 100m backstroke world record on Thursday, went out hard and held on to win the 200m individual medley in a world-leading time of 2min 08.32.
It was a US Open record for the 21-year-old, who sliced three seconds off her previous best in an event that has taken a back seat to backstroke in her international competition.
“I only slept like four and a half hours last night because I was so excited,” Baker said. “When you’re having such a great meet it really just carries into your other races and gives you a lot of confidence.”
Melanie Margalis was a distant second in 2:09.43 and Ella Eastin was third in 2:10.84.
With world record-holder Katie Ledecky taking the night off, Ashley Twichell won the women’s 1,500m freestyle in 15:55.68. Ally McHugh was second in 16:02.56 and Erica Sullivan third in 16:02.88.
Zane Grothe won the men’s 800m free in a US Open record of 7:44.57 — the first time he’s swum under 7:50 in the event.
Jordan Wilimovsky was second in 7:47.51 and Robert Finke third in 7:51.45.