Mohammad Sarengat

Mohammad Sarengat (October 28, 1939 – October 13, 2014) was an Indonesian track and field sprinter. Sarengat became the first Indonesian athlete to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. He won gold in the 100-meter sprint at the 1962 Asian Games.^[1]

Mohammad Sarengat

Personal information
Born	(1939-10-28)October 28, 1939 Banyumas, Dutch East Indies
Died	October 13, 2014(2014-10-13) (aged 74) Jakarta, Indonesia
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Indonesia Asian Games 1962 Jakarta 100 m 1962 Jakarta 110 m hurdles 1962 Jakarta 200 m GANEFO 1963 Jakarta 4x100 m relay 1963 Jakarta 110 m hurdles

Born in Kedunguter in Banyumas Regency, he grew up in Batang Regency before settling in Surabaya. He came from a sporting family – his uncle Mursanyoto was a goalkeeper for the Indonesia national football team.^[2]

Sarengat won the gold medal in the 100-meter sprint at the 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta in 10.4 seconds.^[1] The win made Sarengat the first Indonesian gold medalist at any Asian Games. He also won a second gold medal at the competition, winning the 110-meter hurdles with an Asian record time of 14.3 seconds.^[3] He also won a bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint.^[4] Sarengat held the Indonesian record for the 100-meter sprint (10.4 seconds) for the next twenty-two years, until it was broken by sprinter Mohamed Purnomo at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.^[1]

Only two other Indonesian athletes have won gold medals at the Asian Games since 1962 - Supriyati Sutono and Maria Natalia Londa.^[1] Following his Asian Games win, his only other international medal of note was a silver medal in the 110 m hurdles at the 1963 GANEFO Games, where he placed behind China's Gao Jiqiao.^[5] Following his retirement, a football stadium in Batang Regency (his home area) was named in honour as the Moh Sarengat Stadium.^[2]

After finishing his sports career he trained as a medic and went on to serve as physician for the Indonesian vice president Adam Malik.^[3] Sarengat died on October 13, 2014, at Pondok Indah Hospital in South Jakarta at the age of 73. He had been hospitalized since suffering a stroke in 2012. He was survived by his wife and children.^[1]

References

1. Afriatni, Ami (2014-10-13). "Indonesian Sprinting Great Sarengat Dies Aged 74". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
2. Wardany, Irawaty (2014-10-18).Sprinting legend M. Sarengat dies at 73 . Jakarta Post. Retrieved on 2014-10-20.
3. Mohammad Sarengat. Jakarta Encyclopaedia. Retrieved on 2014-10-20.
4. Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-20.
5. GANEFO Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-10-20.