South Korea upsets China in Asian shooting meet
JAKARTA (JP): South Koreans handed mighty China a series of stinging blows on the second day of the 8th Asian Shooting Championships here yesterday when they romped home with four gold medals from the men's air rifle and women's prone small bore rifle.
Defending champion China had to settle for the remaining two golds from the men's trap 150 targets, but it remained atop of the medal race with six golds, five silvers and a bronze. South Korea trailed China with four golds, two silvers and a bronze.
Both South Korea and China shattered Asian records on their gold medal winning run yesterday. The South Korean trio snatched a gold with a total score of 1,760 in the men's air rifle which saw three finishers break the Asian mark of 1,753.
China set the other Asian record when Zhang Bing fired nearly flawless shots to score 124, improving Kuwait's Al Deehani's two- year-old record of 123. Zhang also equaled the world record set by G. Pelleilo of Italy in 1993.
The Chinese trio completed a double in the team event as Zhang, Zhao Gui Seng and Gao Qingzhong compiled a total score of 364 to beat the old mark of 357 set by the Kuwaiti team in the Asian Games last year.
A technical malfunction served as a blessing in disguise for South Korea in the men's air rifle. Chae Keun Bae failed to fire his rifle twice in the seventh shot, but he surprised two pace setters, China's Ning Lijia and Masaru Yanagida of Japan, in the third chance with a perfect shot to take over the lead.
Chae maintained his form to win the gold with a total score of 692.6. Yanagida finished second in 690.4, ahead of defending champion Ning.
Contrast
Indonesia, however, suffered a contrasting fate when Iran denied the host team its first medal since 1983. Erlinawati Chalid finished fourth behind Iran's Mahrovshi Zahra in the women's prone small bore rifle with just a mere point separating them, only after the jury conceded to the Iranian team's protest.
"We granted Iran the bronze following a recheck conducted by a panel of three," Secretary-General of the Organizing Committee Sita Hazni said. She guaranteed the objectivity of the revision, saying that none of the jury was informed about whose file they were working on.
Before the protest, four shooters, including Erlinawati and Zahra, were tied at 585 points after six shots. The jury announced that Erlinawati finished third because her final shot bested those of the other three rivals, but Iran refused to accept the outcomes.
Indonesian coach, Ari Said, also lodged a protest, but to no avail since he had surpassed the deadline rules. The General Technical Rules says that a protest has to be submitted within 30 minutes after a competition ends.
In respond to Ari's argument that he was not informed about it, Competition Director JW Kainama said that it always takes the committee more than 30 minutes to complete the revision.
"We assume that a coach or a team manager has fully understood the deadline rules," Kainama said.
Indonesia has taken no medals since Lely Sampoerno won a gold in women's sports pistol in the 1983 meet here. To make matters worse, a throng of local journalists wasted more than half an hour interviewing an elated Erlinawati.
South Korea's Kong Hyun-ah grabbed the gold medal with 590 to lead China Shan Hong by just one point. Kong remained five points away from the meet record.
Kong also spearheaded the South Korean trio, made up also of Kim Jung-mi and Weok Gyung-sook, to take the team gold medal with 1,760 points. China had to be content with its second silver as it scored 1,746. The bronze went to Vietnam. (amd)