SUBANG, Indonesia—Host Indonesia wielded the broom on Monday by taking advantage of its familiarity of the course on Monday.
John Derrick Farr and Leah Belgira settled for sixth-place finishes in mountain bike cycling’s downhill event as the Indonesians exploited a tremendous home-court advantage to sweep the gold medals offered in the sport on Monday in the 18th Asian Games.
Farr, 22, finished eight seconds slower that gold-medal winner Khoiful Mukhib, who won gold in two minutes and 16.687 seconds.
Belgira, also 22 and an Asian Games first-timer like Farr, was 22 seconds off another local bet, Tiara Andini Prastika (2:33.056).
“It was a pure home-court advantage,” said Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez, PhilCycling’s MTB commission chairman who also worked the race as an International Commisaire for the cycling discipline.
Organizers allowed only one track walk and a tight three-hour practice ride for all foreign riders on the eve of the competitions, while the Indonesians, as hosts, had the luxury of making the course their home for the last three months.
“Had we ridden the course several times, we could have done better, if not vied for the podium,” said Farr, who bagged a bronze medal as a junior in the 2014 Asian championships Indonesian hosted in Sumatra.
For Guimaras pride Belgira, her sixth-place finish was more than enough to fuel her passion for the event even more.
“I will train some more and focus on competitions like the Asian Games,” she said.
Chinese-Taipei’s Chiang Shengshang (1.493 seconds behind) clinched silver and Thailand’s Suebsakun Sukchanya (1.762 behind) bagged bronze in the men’s contest.
It was a 1-3 finish for Indonesia in the women’s race with Nining Porwaningsih (9.6-8 behind) completing the podium behind silver medalist Vipavee Deekaballes (9.598 behind) of Thailand.
Members of the Philippine secretariat in Jakarta, meanwhile, earned applause for their conscientious effort to have the bikes of Farr and Ariana Thea Patrice Dormitorio brought here in time for the races.
Philippine Sports Commission Head of Travel Maita Linco and Secretariat Head Arturo Aro made sure the bikes—which were bumped off from the Philippine Airlines flight that was cancelled because of the Naia mess caused by a Xiamen Airlines plane last Friday—reached the athletes in time for their competitions.
Dormitorio was glad to train on her personal bike on Monday after making do with a bike and cycling shoes lent to her by the host federation.
Dormitorio and Nino Surban will race in MTB’s cross-country on Tuesday.
Dormitorio is one of the favorites for her event, but downplayed the billing.
“Participating in the Asian Games is already an honor in itself, it’s a privilege,” she told the BusinessMirror. “Thus, a medal will be a bonus.”
Dormitorio leads the Asian MTB Series and won gold in the Asian MTB Championships Danao City in Cebu hosted last summer. But those credentials have made her cautious of her rivals.
“The strong riders are here—the Chinese, Iranians and especially host Indonesia. They are a class in themselves,” she said.
Dormitorio warmed up on Monday afternoon, glad that she got to use her bike and shoes.
“It’s a mere warm-up because we could not ride the course anymore. But it will do well for me for tomorrow’s race,” she said.
Dormitorio is racing in a major international event for the first time without her father and coach Donjie Dormitorio.
“My Dad was supposed to fly in last Saturday, but his flight was cancelled, and the next available flight is tomorrow. It’s not practical for him to come here anymore because he would miss my event,” she said.
The elder Dormitorio’s flight was cancelled because of the closure of the Naia as a result of the runaway accident caused by the Xiamen Airlines plane last Friday.
Image credits: Jun Lomibao