Indonesian female weightlifter names China, Thailand as tough opponents

JAKARTA, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian female weightlifter Lisa Rumbewas, who won silver medals in 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and in 2004 Athens Olympic Games considers China and Thailand as tough opponents.

"In principle I really have nothing to lose and never underestimate other participating countries such as Bulgaria, Kazakhstan. I just concentrate on my efforts to give the best for the nation and for the people," Rumbewas told Xinhua on Monday before attending the Beijing Olympics Games in August.

Rumbewas, ranked fifth in the 53kg category in the world currently, will be the first female athlete who has been trusted by the Indonesian government to face competition in the three Olympic games successively.

For gold medal she may earn, she would receive double amount of money previously given by the Committee.

"All of the athletes including weightlifters have just taken breath after PON (the national games) ended. So we have not thought about bonus or something else," said Rumbewas.

She started to practice weightlifting at the age of 11. At that time, her mother Ida Aldamina Korwa, a former Indonesian national weightlifter often took her to a weightlifting training center.

After a year of practice, she joined a national competition of weightlifting in Semarang, 600 km from the capital city of Jakarta, for the first time. She could only take the seventh place in 37 kgs category, her mother told Xinhua.

Rumbewas finally decided to be a professional athlete of weightlifting in 1999 because of her parents' encouragement.

Thanks to her hard training in improving techniques, she earned two silver medals for her country in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and in 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

"For the next games in Beijing, I am still posted in 53 kgs category," said Rumbewas.