SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES: ARBI WHIPS ONG; INDONESIA SWEEPS THE GOLDS

** This NEW SHUTTLENWS REPORT is presented by badminton world champions YANG YANG (1987 and 1989) and ZHAO JIAN HUA (1991) and by YANG YANG BADMINTON PRODUCTS **

October 18, 1997 (NEW SHUTTLENWS) - Heryanto Arbi, Indonesia's number one in badminton men's singles, today overwhelmed Ong Ewe Hock of Malaysia in the finals of the 19th SouthEast Asian Games individual badminton championships at the Afrika-Asia hall of the Senayan sports complex in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Arbi demolished the Malaysian with surprising ease 15-5 and 15-3 before 4,000 Indonesian badminton fans who had crowded into the small badminton gym. Arbi's jumpsmash style was in great form today as he relentlessly attacked Ong with powerful and accurate smashes. The Malaysian's defenses were not able to match up with Arbi's shotmaking today with smashes often getting past Ong or being blocked poorly.

Ong also did not seem to be fully focused on the match, as the Malaysian side had great concern for the safety of their player in the overcrowded hall filled with highly partisan Indonesians. Near-riotous conditions at the nearby Senayan football stadium and bottle-throwing incidents at other venues when Indonesian players were behind in the match also added to the Malaysian security worries.

Arbi's victory ensured an Indonesian sweep of the badminton gold medals at the 19th SouthEast Asian Games, since the other four championship matches were all-Indonesian contests.

In women's singles, Mia Audina and Meiluawati put on a competitive final match that featured two tiebreaks. Audina took the gold medal, winning at 12-10 and 12-11.

World champions Sigit Budiarto and Chandra Wijaya took the men's doubles gold medal, beating Olympic heroes Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja 15-4, 14-17 and 15-11.

Eliza Nathanael and Resiana Zelin captured the women's doubles title when they defeated Indarti Isolina and Denyana Lomban 15-5 and 15-13 in today's championship match.

Eliza also won another gold medal later in the evening when she and Chandra Wijaya surprised Trikus Heryanto and Minarti Timur 12-15, 15-7 and 15-2 in the last final. Eliza and Chandra, specialists in the women's and men's doubles, were only paired up in the mixed event for the 19th SouthEast Asian Games and had never competed as a pair before.

In the bronze medals playoffs staged earlier in the day, Indonesia's Joko Suprianto, loser to Ong Ewe Hock yesterday in the men's singles semifinals, recovered some lost prestige with his 15-8, 15-0 win over Yong Hock Kin, Ong's teammate.

The Philippines' Amparo Lim and Kennie Asuncion captured the women's doubles bronze, beating Somharuthai Jaroensiri and Saralee Thoongtongkam of Thailand in a thriller 4-15, 17-14 and 15-13.

Thai players though did get to take home two bronze medals in the individual competition. Pornsawan Plungwech defeated Zarinah Abdullah of Singapore 12-10 and 11-1 in the women's singles playoffs, and the pair of Siripong Siripol and Pramote Teerawiwatana won the men's doubles third-place match when teammates Khunakorn Sudhisodhi and Kitipon Kitikul defaulted.

Chew Choon Eng and Ang Li Peng of Malaysia beat compatriots Cheah Soon Kit and Norashikin Amin 15-8 and 17-14 to claim the mixed doubles bronze medal.

(jfontanilla/migrossman)