Sporting superpower has nervous start to Asian Games

Tue, 08 Dec 1998 | Source: AFP

BANGKOK (Agencies): China struggled to establish its superiority on the first day of serious Asian Games competition Monday with its swimmers slowing down and its shooters off target.

That let Japan through to lead the medals table while the Thai host of the 13th Asian Games was delighted to win two gold medals and bask in international praise of the 41 nation event which has drawn more than 6,700 athletes.

Japan led the medal table with seven golds, against six for China and five for South Korea.

Indonesia joined the medal winning club, thanks to female weightlifter Sri Indriyani who took a bronze in the 48-kilogram division with a combined lift of 180.5 kg. But it lost more as its taekwondo hopeful Robert crashed out in the third round of his middleweight bout and gymnast Jonathan Sianturi finished a low 15th in the men's all-apparatus.

Indonesia's agony continued when its volleyball team, a late entry to the national squad after the soccer team withdrew, was beaten 1-3 by the host Thailand in their group match.

The Indonesians expect to win their first gold on Tuesday from Asian Taekwondo Championships runner-up Yoana Wangsa Putri who will compete in the women's flyweight and world weightlifting champion Winarni who will contest the 53 kg division.

In the swimming, Japan's Yasuko Tajima easily beat world record holder Chen Yan in the women's 400m medley on Monday.

Tajima, bronze medal winner at January's world championships, took the race in 4min 39.92sec. China's Wu Yanyan was second but Chen was more than seven seconds behind in third.

China won three of the swimming finals, through Shan Ying who secured a second straight Asiad title in the women's 100m freestyle (56.20sec), Zeng Qiliang in the men's 100m breaststroke (1:02.32) and the 4x200m freestyle relay team of Qin Caini, Qian Min, Yang Luna and Chen Hua.

But Japan added a second gold through Yosuke Ichikawa who won the men's 200m freestyle in 1:52.46, just beating Thai favorite Torlarp Sethsothorn.

China also got the men's team gymnastics title and weightlifting golds through Liu Xiuhua in the women's 48kg class, who set a new snatch world record of 83.5kg, and Lan Shizhang in the men's 56kg division.

Japan shot to the top of the medal table however by taking all three judo titles and a cycling gold from Sachiko Kamakura in the women's downhill mountain bike race.

Japan were given a brilliant start to the Asian Games when Naoko Takahashi won the marathon that launched the Games on Sunday.

Thailand had started the day in morose mood after snooker star James Wattana crashed out of the Games on Sunday night -- as the spectacular opening ceremony went ahead.

But spirits were lifted when mountain biker Pannarong Kongsamut and the women's air rifle team won their events.

The shooting team, led by a smiling Thanyarat Pupiromchaikul who also won a silver in the individual contest, beat the Asian Games record of 1,172 points held by China.

International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch said the opening ceremony was one of the best had seen in his life." He congratulated the National Olympic Committee of Thailand and the organizers.

Samaranch also welcomed Beijing's bid for the 2008 Olympic Games but China will not be completely happy with their day.

On top of the indifferent form in the swimming pool, the Chinese shooters were also off-target.

China's former Olympic champion Wang Yifu, managed only second place in the men's free pistol, behind Kazakhstan's Vladimir Guchsha.