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| October 13, 2002 | Sunday | Sha'aban 6, 1423 |
Chinese athletes dominate
BUSAN, Oct 12: Sun Yingjie added the 5,000 metres gold to her 10,000 title at the Asian Games Saturday as her fellow Chinese women took top honours in volleyball and South Korea beat India in a thrilling hockey final.
Top seed Paradorn Srichaphan outclassed home favourite Lee Hyung-taik 7-6 6-4 to win the men’s singles tennis gold for Thailand, overcoming errors and a noisy partisan crowd in Pusan.
On the eve of the penultimate day of the two-week Games, forward Li Nan scored 24 points as defending champions China demolished Kazakhstan 131-62 to set up a final against South Korea in the men’s basketball competition.
The hosts edged the Philippines 69-68 thanks to a dramatic three-point shot at the final buzzer from Lee Sang-min in the first semi-final at Pusan’s Sajik Gymnasium.
NBA-bound centre Yao Ming, who is set to sign a four-year deal with the Houston Rockets worth a reported $18 million, added 19 points in 13 minutes of play for China, firm favourites to retain their title against South Korea on Monday.
China towered over the medals table, with 139 total golds, followed by South Korea with 81 and Japan with 43. Myanmar finally tasted gold on Saturday with a title in women’s wushu.
Sun powered to victory in a Games record of 14 minutes 40.42 seconds, easily breaking the mark of 15:54.45 set by Indonesia’s Supriati Sutono in Bangkok four years ago, for China’s ninth athletics gold. They later also won gold in the women’s hammer.
The world record in the 5,000 is held by Sun’s compatriot Jiang Bo, who ran 14:28.09 in Shanghai in 1997.
Sun took an early lead and never looked back, though she repeatedly glanced at her watch as she shook off her pursuers.
“We all had the same strategy but I knew I was a faster finisher and that was the key today,” said the 23-year-old, who will now attempt to win a third gold in the women’s marathon on Sunday as a replacement for injured Wei Yanan.
Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi, who has struggled with a knee injury for three months, coasted to victory in the men’s 1,500 metres.
In a nail-biting finish in the latest round of a men’s hockey rivalry that stretches back to 1994, South Korea fought off a feisty Indian comeback to win 4-3 and capture the gold.
Hosts South Korea seemed to be in control of the match, leading 2-0 at halftime and then going ahead 3-0 in the 44th minute in front of a boisterous home crowd. But India came back with three goals in 12 minutes, including two by Jugraj Singh.
With the match tied at 3-3 and seemingly headed into overtime, South Korea’s Yeo Woon-kon converted a penalty corner — the second of his two goals — in the 68th minute.
In women’s volleyball, China thumped South Korea 25-12, 25-16, 22-25 and 25-19, to win the gold on the strength of Zhao Ruirui’s 26 points and five blocks.
Zhao, 21, is pegged as China’s leader in the Athens Olympics in 2004. Japan took the bronze medal for placing third in round-robin preliminaries.
Chinese diver Lao Lishi beat compatriot Li Na for the women’s 10 metre platform gold, leaving China needing just a title in the men’s 10 metre platform to complete its seventh straight Asian Games diving title sweep.—Reuters
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