Richard Sam Bera

Last updated

Richard Sam Bera
Personal information
Full nameRichard Sam Bera
National teamFlag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Born (1971-12-19) 19 December 1971 (age 52)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle, medley
College team Arizona State University (USA)
CoachOtman Siregar (INA), Kevin Perry (USA), Ernest Maglischo (USA) & Michael Chasson (USA)
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia
Asian Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1990 Beijing 100 m freestyle
Asian Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2000 Busan 100 m freestyle
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Manila 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Manila 200 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Manila 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1991 Manila 4x200 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Singapore 200 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Singapore 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Singapore 4x200 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1993 Singapore 4x100 m medley
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Chiang Mai 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Chiang Mai 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Chiang Mai 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1997 Jakarta 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1997 Jakarta 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1997 Jakarta 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan 4x100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2001 Kuala Lumpur 50 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2001 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Manila 100 m freestyle
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2005 Manila 4x100 m medley
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 Jakarta 4x100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 400 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 4x100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Manila 400 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Manila 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1991 Manila 4x100 m medley
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1993 Singapore 100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1993 Singapore 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2001 Kuala Lumpur 4x100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2005 Manila 50 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2005 Manila 4x100 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima 4x100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1987 Jakarta 4x100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1989 Kuala Lumpur 4x200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1995 Chiang Mai 4x200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1997 Jakarta 4x200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1997 Jakarta 4x100 m medley
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan 4x200 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2001 Kuala Lumpur 4x100 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2003 Vietnam 50 m freestyle
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2005 Manila 4x200 m freestyle

Richard Sam Bera (born 19 December 1971) is a former Indonesian swimmer, who specialized in sprint and middle-distance freestyle events. [1] He is a three-time Olympian (1988, 1996, and 2000), a bronze medalist at the Asian Games (1990), and a twenty-three times SEA Games gold-medalist (individuals and relays) since his debut in 1987. He is regarded as Indonesia's most successful swimmer in the sporting history. Up until 2015, Bera held several Indonesian and Southeast Asian Games records in sprint freestyle events from the Southeast Asian Games.

Contents

Career

Early years

Bera made his official debut, as Indonesia's youngest swimmer (aged 16), at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He failed to reach the top 16 final in any of his individual events, finishing forty-first in the newly introduced 50 m freestyle (24.67), [2] forty-seventh in the 100 m freestyle (53.59), [3] forty-eighth in the 200 m freestyle (1:57.60), [4] forty-third in the 400 m freestyle (4:08.70), [5] and thirty-seventh in the 200 m individual medley (2:13.90). [6]

Bera's name reached towards an early sport popularity when, as a 17-year-old, he earned his first-ever gold medal in the 100 m freestyle (52.19) and bronze in the newly introduced 50 m freestyle at the 1989 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia beating the then current champion of the distance, the great Ang Peng Siong of Singapore. [7]

One year later, at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China, Bera won a bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle at 51.79, trailing China's Xie Jun by almost a full second.

College career

His college swimming career started off in Northern California when he attended Foothill College until 1993. Bera was California Community College Champion in 50, 100, and 200 yd freestyle for two years. And in 1993, he set a new California and US National Junior College record in 100 yd freestyle with the time of 44.73. After his successful campaign in California, Bera accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he swam for the Arizona State Sun Devils swimming and diving team under head coach Ernest Maglischo first and then Michael Chasson. While swimming for the Sun Devils, he received four All-American honors in the 100-yard freestyle, and all freestyle relays (200, 400, and 800). [8] Bera was a regular finalist in 100 and 200 yards freestyle at Pac-10 Championships during his NCAA Division I career. And he capped it off in his final season with automatic qualifying time in 100 yd free for 1995 NCAA Championships. He was also a member of Sun Devils' 400 yd Medley Relay team that finished top 6 that year. After his senior season, Bera turned himself into a professional swimmer and then made a strong comeback for the Indonesian swimming team. At the 1995 Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Bera powered past the entire swimming field to strike a sprint freestyle double (both 50 and 100 m). [7] Up until 2017, Bera remains the only Indonesian athlete in any sports who has ever earned the All-American Division 1 accolade.

International comebacks

After an eight-year absence since his first Olympics in 1988 as a 16-year-old, Bera qualified for his second Indonesian team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Although he was able to improve his standards from past tournaments, Bera still placed in a "middle-of-the-pack" in any of his individual events, finishing forty-fourth in the 50 m freestyle (23.80), and thirty-fourth in the 100 m freestyle (51.25). [9] [10]

When his country Indonesia hosted the 1997 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Bera was delighted and overwhelmed by the home crowd, as he edged out Filipino favourite Raymond Papa to defend his titles in both the 50 and 100 m freestyle. [7] A feat that he repeated again at the 1999 Southeast Asian Games in Brunei Darussalam and the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Shortly after the 1997 Games, Bera announced his retirement to concentrate on his job as an assistant coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils. On that same year, he graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and a Bachelor of Arts in economics. [11]

But two years later, in 1999, Bera came home to Indonesia and made a decision to come out of retirement, and set up an official return to the Indonesian swimming team. At the Southeast Asian Games, he defended his 100 m freestyle title for the third straight time in a Games record-breaking time of 51.03, slashing 0.28 seconds off the mark set by his teammate Wisnu Wardhana in 1993. [11] He also defended his 50 m freestyle crown when he swam 23.49, more than two-tenths of a second (0.20) outside his own 10-year-old record. [12]

In March 2000, Bera competed in the 6th Asian Swimming Championships in Busan, South Korea, and came away with a silver medal in 100 m freestyle with the time of 51.34, being edged out by home favorite Kim Min-suk for the Gold. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Bera competed again in a sprint freestyle double since his remarkable comeback from Atlanta. After defending third straight titles from the SEA Games, his entry times of 23.49 (50 m freestyle) and 51.03 (100 m freestyle) were accredited under a FINA B-standard. [13] [14] In the 100 m freestyle, Bera placed thirty-seventh on the morning prelims. Swimming in heat six, he edged out Israel's Yoav Bruck to take a sixth spot by exactly a tenth of a second (0.10) in 51.52. [15] Two days later, in the 50 m freestyle, Bera challenged seven other swimmers in heat five, including Bahamas' Allan Murray, top 16 finalist in Atlanta four years earlier. He came up short in third place and forty-second overall at 23.54, just a small fraction off his entry time. [16]

At the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bera matched his own record of 51.03 to claim a 100 m freestyle title for the fourth straight time, edging out host nation's Allen Ong by 0.28 of a second. [17] [18]

Twelve years after winning a bronze medal, Bera competed for the second time, as a strong 31-year-old veteran, at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. He missed the podium twice in any of his swimming events, finishing fourth in the 50 m freestyle (23.49), and fifth in the 100 m freestyle (51.41). [19]

At the 2003 Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, Bera only won a bronze medal in the 50 m freestyle at 23.73, finishing behind surprising Thai teenager Arwut Chinnapasaen and his Malaysian nemesis Allen Ong by four-tenths of a second (0.40). [20]

Eighteen years since his debut, Bera made his final appearance as individual swimmer at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in Manila. Surprisingly, even in the age of 34, he managed to win a total of five swimming medals: two golds in the 100 m freestyle (51.94) and in the 4 × 100 m medley relay (3:51.51), two silvers each in the 50 m freestyle (23.36) and in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay (3:29.46), and a bronze in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay (7:43.56). [21]

Shortly after the Games, Bera announced his second, yet official retirement from swimming, ending a career with three Olympic appearances, and more than forty SEA Games medals to his collection. And up until 2014 Asian Games, Bera and fellow countrymen breast-stroker Wirmandi Sugriat, remain the last Indonesian swimmers who medaled at Asian Games.

Life after swimming

Since 2000, Bera has been working as a sports broadcaster for MetroTV on the western outskirts of Jakarta. After that, he was placed as editor-in-chief for FHM and Men's Fitness Indonesia Magazines. Following his retirement from swimming, Bera still remained strong and faithful to his sporting regime. He became one of the founders of National Champions Millennium Aquatics Club, and later competed in both Olympic and sprint-distance triathlons across Indonesia, specifically in Bali. [22] Bera was unofficially crowned as the father of modern triathlon in Indonesia, when he started to spread the "triathlon virus" in 2009. He was training to keep himself healthy by doing cycling and running along with swimming. At the time, barely anyone in Indonesia was aware of the sport of triathlon.

Bera also attended both as a spectator and as an observer at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Watching the athlete procession from the stands during the closing ceremony, he reminisced an Olympic moment from his Twitter: "Seeing all those athletes down there, a bit emotional for me. I used to be down there". [23]

In 2015, Bera elected President of Indonesia Olympians Association and served until 2018. From 2015 to 2017, he was also part of the Board of Commissioner of Ministry of Youth and Sports' High-Performance Program called PRIMA. And then in May 2018, Bera was appointed by the Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Imam Nahrawi, as Ketua Umum or Chairman of Badan Olahraga Profesional Indonesia (Indonesia Professional Sports Agency) or BOPI. [24] This latest position is to see Bera as the head of the government's regulating as well as developing agency of all professional sports in the country, which include among others Indonesian football leagues, Indonesian Basketball League, and Indonesian MMA leagues. He is now living with in Jakarta.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 metre freestyle</span>

The men's 200 metre freestyle event at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place on 18–19 September at the Olympic Park Swimming Pool in Seoul, South Korea. There were 63 competitors from 41 nations, with each nation having up to two swimmers.

Ravil Nachaev is an Uzbek former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events. He is a three-time Olympian, and a gold medalist in the 50 m freestyle at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

Allen Ong Hou Ming is a Malaysian former swimmer, who specialised in sprint freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, a double gold medalist in the 100 m freestyle at the Southeast Asian Games, and a varsity swimmer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Ratapong "Nuk" Sirisanont is a Thai former swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke, but also competed in long-distance freestyle and individual medley. He is a four-time Olympian, a three-time Asian Games participant, and a seven-time SEA Games athlete (1991–2003). Regarded as Thailand's top swimmer, he has won a total of sixteen medals at the Southeast Asian Games since 1995, and six at the Asian Games, including two golds in the 200 and 400 m individual medley. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Sirisanont became the first Thai swimmer to reach the final twice. Sirisanont is also one of three Southeast Asian swimmers, along with Malaysia's Alex Lim and Philippines' Miguel Molina, to train for the California Golden Bears in the United States, under head coach Nort Thornton.

Albert Christiadi Sutanto is an Indonesian former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly and medley events. He is a two-time Olympian, and multi medalist 9 Gold 5 Silver and 16 Bronze at the Southeast Asian Games.

Kim Min-suk is a retired South Korean swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and backstroke events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a double medalist at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.

Sergey Ashihmin (Russian: Серге́й Ашихмин; is a Russian-born Kyrgyzstani former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a former Kyrgyzstan record holder in the 50 and 100 m freestyle. While playing for the Russian senior team, Ashihmin also earned a silver medal, along with Denis Pimankov, Dmitry Chernyshov, and double Olympic champion Alexander Popov, in the 4×100 m freestyle relay at the 1999 European Aquatics Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sng Ju Wei is a Singaporean former swimmer, who specialized in sprint and middle-distance freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a triple medalist at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games. Sng also trained for the Aquatic Performance Swim Club in Singapore district, under head coach Jin Xia Li.

Dieung Anak Manggang is a Malaysian former swimmer, who specialised in long-distance freestyle and in butterfly events. He is a single-time Olympian (2000), and a multiple-time SEA Games medalist.

Steven Chandra is an Indonesian former swimmer, who specialized in long-distance freestyle events. He won a bronze medal in the 1500 m freestyle (16:02.63) at the 1999 Southeast Asian Games in Brunei, and later represented Indonesia at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Muhammad Akbar Nasution is an Indonesian former swimmer, who specialised in breaststroke, but also competed in long-distance freestyle and individual medley. Starting as a 17-year-old appearing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Nasution is considered one of Indonesia's top-ranked swimmers in his decade. He has won a total of six medals from the Southeast Asian Games since 2001 and has held numerous Indonesian records in long-distance freestyle and in individual medley. At the peak of his sporting career, Nasurion has also travelled extensively across Asia, Australia, and the United States to train for world-class swim clubs, and to further focus on his education, including his four-year stay at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix Sutanto</span> Indonesian swimmer

Felix Christiadi Sutanto is a retired Indonesian swimmer, who specialized in individual medley events. He represented Indonesia, along with his twin brother Albert, at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and later received a total of sixteen All-American titles at the NAIA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships, while studying in the United States. Because of his tremendous career in college swimming, Sutanto was named the 2002 and 2003 Most Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Year by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

Sultan Al-Otaibi is a Kuwaiti former swimmer, who specialized in individual medley, but also competed in backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. He represented Kuwait in all of the four editions of the Olympic Games since 1988, and also held numerous Kuwaiti records in the same disciplines, particularly in the 200 m individual medley.

Wan Azlan bin Wan Ali Abdullah is a retired Malaysian swimmer, who specialised in freestyle and in individual medley events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a gold medalist at the Southeast Asian Games (1997). While studying in the United States, Abdullah trained for the Pine Crest Swim Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida under his full-time coach David López-Zubero, a bronze medalist for Spain at the 1980 Summer Olympics. During his college career, Abdullah swam for the University of Georgia's Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team under head coach Jack Bauerle.

Tamer Hamed Ali Zinhom Muhammad is an Egyptian former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle and butterfly events. He is a two-time Olympian, and an Egyptian record holder in the 50 m freestyle.

Andrey Kvassov is a Kazakhstani-Kyrgyzstani former swimmer, who specialized in sprint and middle-distance freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a top 16 finalist at the 2002 Asian Games.

Leslie Kwok Ying Wah is a Singaporean former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events and later turned into an actor, entrepreneur, and a part-time professional model. He earned three bronze medals each in the 50 m freestyle from the Southeast Asian Games, and later represented Singapore at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Kwok is also an Anglo-Chinese School alumnus, and later a graduate with a bachelor of science degree in civil and structural engineering at Nanyang Technological University.

Huang Chih-yung is a Taiwanese former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events. He is a two-time Olympian, and a bronze medalist at the 1998 Asian Games.

Daniel Liew Yao Xiang is a former Singaporean swimmer, who specialized in breaststroke events. During his sporting career, Liew held a Singaporean record in the medley relay (3:51.16) from the 2001 Southeast Asian Games, and later represented Singapore at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also played for the Chinese Swimming Club before entering the national team.

Jonathan Tan Eu Jin is a Singaporean swimmer. He represented Singapore at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships held in Gwangju, South Korea and he finished in 34th place in the heats in the men's 50 metre freestyle event.

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Richard Sam Bera". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Seoul 1988: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 4" (PDF). Seoul 1988 . LA84 Foundation. p. 400. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Seoul 1988: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 5" (PDF). Seoul 1988 . LA84 Foundation. p. 401. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "Seoul 1988: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 200m Freestyle Heat 4" (PDF). Seoul 1988 . LA84 Foundation. p. 402. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Seoul 1988: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 400m Freestyle Heat 2" (PDF). Seoul 1988 . LA84 Foundation. p. 403. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Seoul 1988: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 200m Individual Medley Heat 3" (PDF). Seoul 1988 . LA84 Foundation. p. 412. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "Swimming: Richard returns for one last fling in Games". New Straits Times. 28 July 1999. p. 44. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Men's Swimming and Diving All-Americans". Arizona State Sun Devils . Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 5" (PDF). Atlanta 1996 . LA84 Foundation. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Atlanta 1996 . LA84 Foundation. p. 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Veteran Richard back in the swim of things". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. 10 August 1999. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  12. ↑ "Richard good as gold in 50m freestyle". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. 12 August 1999. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 5)" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 6)" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 100m Freestyle Heat 6" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . LA84 Foundation. p. 114. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  16. ↑ "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 5" (PDF). Sydney 2000 . LA84 Foundation. p. 105. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  17. ↑ "30 and counting: Malaysia continues to dominate SEA Games". Sports Illustrated . CNN. 10 September 2001. Archived from the original on 12 September 2001. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Bera equals SEA Games record". Utusan Malaysia . 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 8 May 2005. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Wu and Qi Win Third Gold Apiece, as China Winds Up a Dominant Performance at Asian Games". Swimming World Magazine. 5 October 2002. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "United States-trained swimmer sweeps breaststroke events". The Star . 10 December 2003. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  21. ↑ Kurniawan, Moch (16 December 2005). "PRSI buoyed by up-and-coming swimmer's SEAG performance". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  22. ↑ Prathivi, Niken (9 September 2002). "For the love of sports". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post . Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  23. ↑ "Athletes savour the moment at Closing Ceremony". Olympics. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Richard Sam Bera Jadi Ketua BOPI".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.