Chinese shooters set to show supremacy
JAKARTA (JP): Chinese athletes are pouring into Jakarta for the second occasion in less than two weeks, to reconfirm their supremacy in Asian sports.
With the Asian Track and Field Championships already in its total control, China is redeploying its strong team to rule the roost in the 8th Asian Shooting Championships now underway until the weekend.
"Nobody knows whether we'll manage to retain the overall championship title here, but we are eager to do it," Chinese coach Xu Haifeng said after the opening ceremony yesterday.
Edi Sudradjat, President of the Asian Shooting Confederation, declared the week-long event open during a ceremony at the Senayan shooting range yesterday. A number of athletes and officials mingled with female Sundanese dancers who performed the traditional jaipongan dance at the end of the ceremony.
Athletes from 28 teams will be vying for 38 gold medals at the championship, the second to be held here after the 1983 meet. Pakistan will be the last contingent to arrive today, when the race for medals starts.
Xu picked four world champions among his 56-strong team in an obvious attempt to preserve China's domination in the event. Wang Yu Jhing and Xu Xiang, women's trap champions, and their male counterparts, Wang Yi Fu and Li Weng Jie, world champions in the rifle divisions, will lead China's golden stride at the meet.
"Several teams will put us in a hard-fought competition, but I believe we can overcome them," Xu said, adding that the arduous challenge would come from South Korea, Kazakhstan and Japan. China romped home with 27 gold medals to finish first in the previous meet in Beijing four years ago.
Indonesia, fielding 55 athletes, decline to speak about winning medals. "This is absolutely a world-level competition due to the coming of world champions," Indonesian team manager Benny Mamoto said. The host team aimed at improving its ranking from 12 in 1991 to at least 10.
Benny, however, expected his female shooters to steal a little bit of thunder in air rifle, double trap and running target. "Winning a bronze will pick us up to a better ranking," Benny said.
Lely Sampoerna carved out a piece of history when she gave Indonesia its only gold from the women's sports pistol in 1983. The national team bagged no medals in 1991.
Only two golds in men's free pistol and women's air rifle are on offer during the first day of competitions. Kazakhstan's Vladimir Vokhmiamin, who took an Olympic bronze medal in 1992 and an Asian Games gold last year, is favored to win the men's free pistol. (amd)