Chinese shooters set to show supremacy
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)