China collected another 14 gold medals at the
Asian Games on Monday to raise their gold
tally to 124, but Olympic champion Liu Xiang made bigger news than
any champion despite just making a brief appearance in the men's
110 meters hurdles heat.
South Korea, who claimed seven further gold medals on Monday,
overtook fierce rivals Japan to take the second place in the medal
table with 44 golds. Japan slipped to third with 43.
Liu, one of the brightest stars in the Asian Games sky, cruised
home in the first heat at Khalifa Stadium Monday morning in 13.74
seconds, 0.86 seconds off the world record he set in July 2006 in
Lausanne, Switzerland.
"I'm tired and dizzy after getting up so early at 5:40 this
morning, and failed to make a fine start after another sprinter of
my heat committed a false start and then started ahead of the
signal gun buzzed," Liu said. "But it's no big deal. I made the
final and everything will be OK," he added.
The defending champion Liu, holding the Asian Games title he won
in Busan in 13.27, will run the final on the last night of the
athletics competition on Tuesday.
China dominated Monday's athletics events, winning three out of
nine gold medals on offer, although all the golds came from the
women.
Asian champion Xie Limei set the tone for China with victory in
the women's triple jump event. Teenager Xue Fei surprised all to
capture the women's 5,000m title. The 17-year-old, making her first
Asian Games appearance, clocked 15 minutes 14.12 seconds, ahead of
Japan's Kayo Sugihara (15:40.87) and Indian Jaisha Orchatteri
(15:41.91).
The trio broke free together into the final lap, but Xue sped up
in the last few pace to shake off pursuit from Sugihara and
Orchatteri.
"With about 50 meters left to run, I realized I could win the
race," said Xue, the 5,000m winner at the world youth championships
last August.
China then made a 1-2 finish in the women's discus final, with
Song Aimin taking gold and teammate Ma Xuejun claiming silver.
Guo Jingjing, another of China's superstars, who won two diving
gold medals in the Athens Olympic Games, kept the limelight at the
Hamad Aquatic Center together with her partner Li Ting, easily
winning the women's 3m synchronized springboard crown.
In front of a full-house audience, Guo and Li kept their nerve
and shone forth with a class of their own by totaling 337 points,
beating their closest rivals Nishi Ryoko/Yamashita Misako of Japan,
who posted 287.40 points, by more than 50 points.
With the synchro victory, Guo become the most successful female
diver in Asian Games history with four gold medals.
The day's other diving gold also went to China. Huo Liang and
Lin Yue went away with the men's synchronized 10m platform
title.
Beach volleyball became China's domain as Zhou Shun/Li Jian and
Xue Chen/Zhang Xi won the men's and women's gold medals
respectively.
The Chinese also came out on top in sailing and canoe/kayak,
claiming three golds out of four in canoe/kayak and two out of
three in sailing.
South Korea, determined to consolidate their No. 2 sports power
status in Asia, clean-swept all four golds in golf.
Elsewhere, Japan beat South Korea 27-26 with a last minute try
to win the rugby gold medal.
A fourth positive drug test was announced on Monday, with a
second weightlifter from Myanmar disqualified. Oo Mya Sanda, 29,
was stripped of the silver medal she won in the women's 75kg
category.
With four days to go, China is almost certain to win beat the
150 gold-medal haul obtained in the Busan Asian Games four years
ago.
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)
