Chinese swimming gold and a superb title for Japanese gymnast Kohei Uchimura put Asian athletes back on the up Wednesday after eight badminton stars were expelled in the Olympics’ first big scandal.
Jiao Liuyang smashed the water and wagged her finger at the heavens in delight after her 200m breaststroke gold, which improved her 2008 silver behind team-mate Liu Zige, who finished last on Wednesday.
Jiao’s victory hands China its fourth gold medal in the pool, equalling the number won at Barcelona 1992, the swimming team’s most successful Games. Sun Yang and teen sensation Ye Shiwen are the other winners.
Afterwards Jiao — who, at nearly 21, has already been training for some 17 years — admitted she nearly quit the sport after losing to Liu at the Beijing Games.
“I thought about giving up, the most difficult time for me was in 2009,” she said. “I wasn’t in my best condition, mentally I wasn’t that strong and I didn’t always agree with my coach, so I had to change my technique.”
The victory lifted Chinese spirits after top seeds Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli were among eight players, as well as four South Koreans and two from Indonesia, to be kicked out of the Games for throwing matches.
The women’s doubles duos angered fans at Wembley Arena late Tuesday when they unashamedly contrived to lose their final group games to set up easier quarter-finals by hitting the shuttlecock into the net and out of court.
The Badminton World Federation quickly responded by disqualifying them from the Games — a move which was applauded by China.
“The Chinese Olympic Committee has always been firmly against any conduct that is against sportsmanship,” the Chinese delegation said.
Malaysian top seed Lee Chong Wei sidestepped the controversy as he beat Simon Santoso to reach the men’s quarter-finals, raising hopes of a fairytale title just 10 weeks after seriously injuring his ankle.
“Now there is another hurdle to cross and with the prayers of all of Malaysia I am optimistic of making the last four,” said Lee, who now plays India’s Kashyap Parupalli.
Separately, triple world-champion Uchimura said he’d rid himself of a “demon” by finally landing the men’s all-around gymnastics title, confirming his domination of the event.
“I have been a world champion three times in a row, but this is different,” he told reporters. “It’s once every four years, so there is a wait. I feel like a demon was chasing me this time.”
Luo Yutong and Qin Kai made it four out of four for China’s all-conquering divers in the men’s 3m synchro, while Li Xiaoxia shocked world champion Ding Ning in a stormy, all-Chinese women’s table tennis final.
Ding was repeatedly cautioned by the referee over her serve, a controversy which left her flustered and in tears as Li saw out a 4-1 win.
“I didn’t do very well today. I had two obstacles, not only from my opponent but from the judge,” said the crestfallen Ding.
Lu Xiaojun won 77kg weightlifting style in record-breaking style as China reached 17 gold medals on day five, five better than second-placed the United States.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori reached the tennis quarter-finals with a shock win over in-form David Ferrer, but there was disappointment for India as Leander Paes and Vishnu Vardhan were knocked out of the men’s doubles.
India’s only remaining tennis medal hope is the mixed doubles partnership of Paes and Sania Mirza, who will kick off their campaign on Thursday.
South Korea struck fencing gold through Kim Jiyeon, a day after Shin A-Lam was promised a consolation sportsmanship medal after her tearful, but vain, appeals in a judging controversy which dragged on for more than an hour.
South Korea’s Kim Jang-Mi, 19, won her country’s first women’s shooting gold for 20 years in the 25m pistol competition. South Korea are third in the medals table with North Korea fifth.-Interaksyon (August 02, 2012 6:28AM)
No comments:
Post a Comment