Champion China renews charges in shooting meet
Champion China renews charges in shooting meet
JAKARTA (JP): Another Asian record tumbled as defending
champion China renewed its charges on the third day of the 8th
Asian Shooting Championships here yesterday by sweeping up three
of the four gold medals at stake.
The victories, coming just after a double blow on Wednesday,
helped China go four golds clear in front of closest challenger
South Korea, with eight golds, six silvers and a bronze. China
just missed the men's individual rapid fire pistol gold, which
was taken by Kazakhstan's Asian Games winner Vladimir
Vokhmyanine.
Liang Yan opened the Chinese sweep when she took the women's
air pistol with a record-breaking feat. Making her international
debut, Liang shot to her first-ever gold medal with a total score
of 386. She broke the nine-year-old Asian record of 384, set by
Japan's Hasagawa in the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.
It was the fifth new meet record established in the shooting
championship so far.
"What a great victory. I could not believe that I did it in my
first appearance at such a big tournament," the 23-year-old
student of Hunan school of letters said. Liang is only fifth in
the national rankings.
She said that her success was the result of the strict
discipline she had subjected herself to for five years. "I always
force myself to swallow a big portion of training three times a
week, despite my school commitments," she said.
Practice made perfect for Liang, but she admitted to a
continuing worry. "I shot my personal best of 390 during my two-
month stint prior to the championship. Hopefully I will make it
better in the Olympic Games next year," she said.
Dorsjuren Munkhbayar produced a brilliant comeback in the
final, eighth round, to finish second behind Liang and earn
Mongolia its first medal. The bronze went to Japan's Yoko Inada.
Liang also inspired the Chinese trio to grab the top team
honor. They gained a total of 1,135 points, ahead of Kazakhstan,
which scored 1,130. South Korea had to be content with the bronze
for 1,122.
Fightback
Kazakhstan's Vokhmyanine maintained his domination in his
favorite event to give his team its first championship gold
medal, after a superb fightback. He trailed his Asian Games
runner-up Meng Gang of China and pace-setter Tamohiro Kida of
Japan after 60 shots in the qualifying round.
Vokhmyanine was paired with fourth-finisher Enver Osmanov of
Uzbekistan in the final eighth round, leaving Meng and Kida to
lock horns. The 33-year-old Kazakhstani breezed past Osmanov with
an average score of 99.9 after 10 shots, thanks to the
advantageous pairing.
Kida, however, flopped in the final hurdle in a tense duel
with Meng. Setting the pace after completing half of the
compulsory 10 shots, Kida squandered his momentum and missed the
silver.
Vokhmyanine maintained his cool, even during the press
conference shortly after his victory. He spoke only a few words
through his coach and interpreter in response to a spirited
journalist from the state-owned television station TVRI, who
fired several rounds of questions at him.
Meng teamed up with Zhang Wei and Asian Games bronze medalist
Wang Runxi to accumulate 1,746 points for the gold in the team
event. Kida and company gave Japan another silver with a total
score of 1,745.
Vokhmyanine, who led the then Soviet Union trio to win two
straight golds in the world championships in 1982 and 1986,
spearheaded the Kazakhstan team to take the bronze. (amd)