Athletics National Team Still Fasting In Preparation For Hanoi SEA Games, Coach: No Significant Changes, Everything Is Normal

Indonesian sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri (second right) runs in the first round of the men's 100 meters heat 4 athletics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Athletes who are members of the Indonesian athletics national team (teamnas) will continue to fast during training in preparation for the SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is scheduled to take place on May 12-23.

The head coach of the athletics team, Agustinus Ngamel, said that there were no significant changes in training patterns during the holy month of Ramadan. Athletes continue to train to be able to give their best in the biennial sports event in Southeast Asia.

"At the beginning of fasting, athletes adapt to body anatomy. From the coaching team there are no significant changes, especially for sprints. Everything goes normally. Children continue to fast. Indeed, there are some disciplines that make adjustments, such as during Ramadan, one session of training instead of the usual two sessions. It depends on the coach of each discipline," Agustinus said as quoted by Antara, Tuesday.

In addition, considering the Hanoi SEA Games which will be rolling soon, the national training athletes will continue to focus on training and will not return to their respective hometowns or carry out the Eid homecoming tradition.

"We communicate with the children. They are ready for Eid in the dormitory. This is the duty of the state, so they understand and may only return after the Hanoi SEA Games," Agustinus added.

The Executive Board of the All Indonesian Athletics Association (PB PASI) is preparing 23 athletes to participate in the Hanoi SEA Games. 12 of them will also conduct trials by participating in the 2022 Singapore Open in Singapore on April 14-17.

For the athletics team, this is the only trial abroad before leaving for Hanoi. PB PASI indeed has difficulty sending athletes for tryouts abroad considering the number of competitions that have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only one athlete has experienced the competitive atmosphere, namely Lalu Muhammad Zohri who took part in the Indoor Athletics World Championships at the Stark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia on March 18-20.

Agustinus also hopes that Indonesian athletes can maximize the opportunity to try out in Singapore to get the best results at the Hanoi SEA Games later. "Of course, I hope that the athlete's performance will continue to improve until it reaches its peak in Vietnam," said Agustinus.