Japan, China take back seat for once<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (Agencies): The Asian Games on Monday showed the
\ngrowing depth of its track and field talent with Sri Lanka, India
\nand Qatar elbowing aside regional giants China and Japan.<\/p>\n
In what was a welcome relief for many, the tussle between
\nJapanese and Chinese for sport supremacy took a back seat to
\nlesser known powers.<\/p>\n
But the two powers could not be completely denied.<\/p>\n
Japanese sprinter Koji Ito was crowned Asia's fastest man by
\nwinning the 100-meter but fell short in a brave bid to become the
\nfirst Asian to dip under the magical 10-second barrier.<\/p>\n
The fastest woman crown went to China's Li Xuemei who cruised
\nhome in the women's sprint to salvage some pride for the fallen
\nChinese track and field team, once the dominant force in Asia.<\/p>\n
The soccer semifinalists were decided with Thailand putting on
\nan heroic nine-man show after two players were sent off to
\namazingly join China, Iran and Kuwait in the medal round.<\/p>\n
The Thais were not the only the team to get a red card.<\/p>\n
China's coach Bob Houghton, a former assistant coach for
\nNottingham Forest in England's premier league, was automatically
\nsuspended for one match -- meaning he will miss Wednesday's
\nsemifinals -- for dissent from the sidelines.<\/p>\n
Hanging over the tournament was a meeting on Tuesday to decide
\nif Asians boycott the 2002 World Cup, ironically to be co-hosted
\nin the region's backyard for the first time by Japan and South
\nKorea.<\/p>\n
The Asians are unhappy that they only have two berths -- apart
\nfrom the two spots for the co-hosts -- for the 32 nation World
\nCup.<\/p>\n
It was a day of triumph, disappointment and even tragedy for
\nthe Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka which so rarely has come
\ninto the limelight at the 47-year-old Games.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka lost its biggest sprint star at the Games to injury
\nbut made up for it with a golden double that ended a 24-year
\ndrought.<\/p>\n
Sugath Tillekeratne and Damayanthi Darsha broke an Asian Games
\njinx by sweeping up the men's and women's 400m golds, Sri Lanka's
\nfirst golds at the Asiad since 1974.<\/p>\n
Tragedy then struck the Sri Lankan team when swimming team
\nmanager Rizvi Fulile Zain died of a sudden heart attack after a
\nshopping trip with his nephew.<\/p>\n
Sri Lanka's last Asian Games title was in the men's 4X400m at
\nthe 1974 Games.<\/p>\n
The golden double made up for disappointment over the
\nwithdrawal from the 100m and 200m events of sprinter Susanthika
\nJayasinghe due to a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n
The outspoken 22-year-old, who failed a random drugs test in
\nApril, quit the Asian Games on Monday after failing to start in
\nthe 100m finals.<\/p>\n
Jayasinghe became Sri Lanka's most successful athlete when she
\ngrabbed the silver in the 1997 world championships in Athens last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Disqualification<\/p>\n
Unlike Sri Lanka, Indonesia saw its dreams to rejoin Asia's
\ntrack and field medal winning club fading after its women's
\nrunner and walker failed to match the regional stars.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's hopeful in the women's 10-kilometer walk, Tersiana
\nRiwu Rohi, even missed from the pack of finishers as she was
\ndisqualified for the third lifting offense in the sixth lap.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's last medal, a bronze, in Asiad track and field
\ncompetition came in 1974 through Carolina Riewpassa in the
\nwomen's 200m run.<\/p>\n
A tearful Tersiana said she saw track officials warn her just
\nonce in the fourth lap. "I have never expected to end the race
\nthis way. I've trained and prepared for the Games for years only
\nto be humiliated for offenses I thought I did not commit," she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian was no the only one to go out as pre-race
\nfavorite Li Yuxin of China was disqualified with just five laps
\nremaining.<\/p>\n
Tersiana was aiming to only better her personal best of
\n46:19.00 in the race eventually won by Liu Hongyu of China in a
\nmeet record of 43:57.28.<\/p>\n
In the women's 10,000m run, Indonesia's Supriati Sutono
\nmanaged only to finish fifth in 32:52.45, well more than 51
\nseconds slower than winner Yuko Kawakami of Japan.<\/p>\n
More stories on Page 6<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-china-take-back-seat-for-once-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }