Badminton gives RI first gold medal

BANGKOK (Agencies): Badminton salvaged Indonesia's pride at the 13th Asian Games when its new-look men's team trounced an unusually spiritless China for the gold medal on Friday.

It was the first gold for Indonesia after six days of action and an ideal start for a beleaguered badminton side which is aiming to scoop four gold medals here. Fielding its dream team fresh from Thomas Cup triumph. Indonesia won three gold medals from the sport in the previous Games in Hiroshima four years ago.

The Indonesian badminton team is without former world champion Hariyanto Arbi, who pulled out through injury, and world doubles champion Sigit Budiarto, who is serving a one-year ban for failing a drug test. Injury also forced a last minute change in its line-up, with Budi Santoso called up to replace Marlev Mainaky.

Teenage Taufik Hidayat, only one of five Indonesian men's shuttlers who are making their Asiad debut, was the toast of the winning team. The 17-year-old player upset world number three Luo Yigang 15-6, 15-5 to give Indonesia an unassailable 3-0 lead.

The victory made amends for Indonesia's defeat in the women's team event which eventually won by a star-studded Chinese team after beating South Korea in the final early in the day.

The Asian Games was rocked by the withdrawal of one of its biggest draws, Thai snooker star James Wattana, as China's swimmers fought back.

Wattana, the former world matchplay champion, quit the Thai team in distress after missing out on a bronze medal in the doubles.

He had been expected to deliver three gold medals for Thailand in snooker's Asiad debut, said he was pulling out of the team event because his form was "terrible."

Wattana cried after losing to Hong Kong's Chan Kwok-ming in the singles and was rocked again when Malaysia's Sam Chong and Ooi Chin-Kay defeated him and Chuchart Trittanapradit in their doubles semifinal.

"I think it is best for Thailand if I don't play the team event," said Wattana.

"It's not an easy decision but it is the right thing to do - it's the way it should be, they have a better chance without me the way I'm playing. I will be talking to the manager tonight."

China won three titles in the top of the bill swimming and also won the women's table tennis titles.

It took its gold medal tally past 60 while Japan managed only two in the swimming and was way back with 23.

China's Chen Hua won the women's 800m freestyle in 8:38.00, adding it to her 400m free title and her gold medal in the 4x200m free relay.

World record-holder Wu Yanyan of China won the women's 200m individual medley in a time of 2min 15.12sec. But her winning time was more than a second outside her world record, adding to the week of disappointment in the Chinese camp this week.

Jiang Chengji won the men's 50m freestyle final in 22.38sec. But Japan were close behind.

Takashi Yamamoto won the men's 200m butterfly in an Asian record of 1:57.75.

Japan also took the women's 4x100m medley relay while Malaysia got its first swimming title through Lim Keng-Liat in the men's 100m backstroke. He broke the Asian Games record with a time of 55.53sec, denying China's Fu Yong, who was second, a 100-200m double.

China beat North Korea 3-1 to win the women's table tennis team title here Friday -- adding to its victories over the North Koreans at the world championships last year and the Asian championships in October in Osaka.

And Wang Shi-ting led Chinese Taipei to a politically charged 2-1 victory over mainland China, led by its number one Li Fang in the women's team tennis final.

China suffered a blow in the canoeing and kayak events when Kazakhstan -- led by double gold medal winner Sergey Sergeyev took five of the seven gold medals on offer Friday.

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