"Zohri will go to the United States for training, as he will face better competitors there. I believe he will succeed with his spirit," Pandjaitan told the press after attending Zohri's time trial session at Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Zohri clocked a time of 10.54 seconds in his 100-meter sprint trial. The sprinter should pass the 10-second entry standard to qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France.
Pandjaitan affirmed that Zohri had exerted efforts to complete his sprint below 10 seconds during the trial.
However, the sprinter was worried due to the wet track condition during the trial at Madya Stadium of the sports complex, he said. Jakarta was drenched in rain on Saturday morning.
"Zohri said that the track was wet, (he felt) his shoes were a bit heavy, and he was slightly nervous," the sports federation chief stated.
Pandjaitan expressed hope that Zohri would improve his sprint time record in two weeks of training, and the weather conditions would be favorable so as not to hinder his training.
As Zohri has the best chance to qualify for the Olympics and bag a medal at the international sports event, he said that PASI is committed to coaching the sprinter optimally, including by sending him for training in the United States and continuously motivating him.
"He can do it. Let's see. His sprint technique is already good. We should be serious about this matter. I also told him to never give up and continue training hard," Pandjaitan remarked.
Zohri's personal record was made during the 2019 Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Osaka, Japan, where he completed his sprint in 10.03 seconds.
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Translator: Aloysius Lewokeda, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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