Sporting superpower has nervous start to Asian Games

Tue, 08 Dec 1998, 00:00 WIB | 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.