DAEGU (South Korea), Aug 30: The climax of the trouble-prone World Student Games was blighted on Saturday as Thailand was forced to pull out of relay races following a head-on bus crash the previous evening.

On the penultimate day of the junior Olympics, with 41 gold medals on offer, more than 30 athletes were recovering from injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken limbs.

Four people, including Thai Asian Games silver medallist Khawpeag Supavadee, were hospitalised after an athletes’ coach carrying 46 people collided with a commuter bus near the main stadium after Friday’s events.

The crash was the latest setback for a tournament which has already been marred by a terror alert, a violent protest and repeated boycott threats.

Thailand was forced to pull out of three relay finals — the men’s and women’s 4x400m and the women’s 4x100m — after eight of its athletes were injured in the crash.

“The 2003 Daegu Universiade Organising Committee (DUOC) and the Korean government will do everything they can to provide the best care for those who got injured in the athletes’ transportation accident,” said a statement from the organisers.

It was not clear whether compensation would be offered.

Several teams have expressed dissatisfaction with logistical arrangements for the World Student Games, whose 13 events have been contested in some 25 different venues scattered across Daegu and surrounding cities.

However, Algerian runner Walid Meliani recovered from the crash to come fifth in the men’s 800m final. Roman Oravec of the Czech Republic timed his burst to perfection to take gold in 1:48.01 sec.

Meanwhile North Korea’s uniformed cheer squad was singing in the rain as the favourites beat Japan 3-0 in the women’s football final.

The Asian champions, who have scored 27 unanswered goals in five games here, went one-up through left-half Li Un Suk on 14 minutes but struggled to kill the game off in wet conditions.

But two second-half goals in two minutes, including an own goal by Japanese defender Sayaka Yamakazi, saw the North Koreans claim a deserved gold medal ahead of next month’s women’s world cup in the United States.

China beat arch-rivals Taiwan 2-0 to win women’s football bronze in the third place play-off. China’s women’s volleyball team made it a double over the island, which China still claims as part of its territory, with a 3-0 victory in the final of the competition.

Russia beat France in the third place play-off of the women’s volleyball competition.

Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus threw a games-record 82.77m to win the men’s hammer, while fellow Belarusian Andrei Mikhnevich took gold in the shot-put with a 20.76-metre effort.

Results :

Athletics

Men

Half-marathon: 1. Abdellah Bay (MOR), 1 min 4.21 sec; 2. Francis Yiga (UGA), 1:05.24; 3. Ivan Sanchez Diaz (ESP), 1:05.29

400m hurdles: 1. Thomas Kortbeek (NED), 48.95; 2. Matthew Douglas (GBR), 49.26; 3. Hendrick J. Botha (RSA), 49.51

800m: 1. Roman Oravec (CZE), 1:48.01; 2. Ramil Aritkoulov (RUS), 1:48.19; 3. Fabiano Pecanha (BRA), 1:48.20

Hammer: 1. Ivan Tsikhan (BLR), 82.77m (games record); 2. Peter Botfa (HUN), 74.41; 3. David Soderberg (FIN), 72.84

Shot-put: 1. Andrei Mikhnevich (BLR), 20.76; 2. Pavel Lyzhyn (BLR) 20.72; 3. Nedzad Mulabegovich (CRO), 19.99

Women:

Half-marathon: 1. Machi Tanaka (JPN), 1:13.06; 2. Jo Bun Hui (PRK), 1:13.47; 3. Chang Son Ok (PRK), 1:13.55

400m hurdles: 1. Maren Schott (GER), 55.28; 2. Huang Xiaoxiao (CHN), 56.10; 3. Anastasiya Rabchenyuk (UKR), 56.30

800m: 1. Liliana Sanda Barbulescu (ROM), 2:00.06; 2. Anna Zagorska (POL), 2:00.11; 3. Irina Vashentseva (RUS), 2:00.77