China juggernaut rolls on in South Korea
DOPING controversies overshadowed the Asian Games yesterday as North and South Korea set up an explosive men’s soccer final and uproar greeted some contentious boxing decisions in Incheon.
Meanwhile, China continued hoarding gold medals at a furious rate, claiming it’s first ever gold in tennis and adding diving titles to its impressive total.
Malaysia’s Tai Cheau Xuen was stripped of her wushu gold medal and Iraqi superheavyweight weightlifter Mohammed Al Aifuri was also caught as doping cases ticked up to four. It was the Iraqi’s second offense in six years.
Malaysia said they would appeal the ruling against Tai, without giving details of how it would be fought. A Tajik soccer player and a Cambodian soft tennis player were expelled for doping earlier.
Doping was not the only controversy. Boxing judges found themselves in the spotlight over a series of decisions that went in favor of South Korean fighters.
The husband of Indian lightweight Sarita Devi launched an expletive-laden tirade and tangled with security after South Korea’s Park Ji-Na was controversially awarded their semifinal bout.
Mongolia’s male bantamweight Tugstsogt Nyambayar contentiously lost a decision against South Korean Ham Sang-Myeong, prompting a brief sit-in protest and an official complaint.
Later, Indian light flyweight Devendro Singh Laishram looked well on top against Shin Jong-Hun but the South Korean was handed their quarterfinal on a unanimous points verdict.
The International Boxing Association said it was impossible to appeal the decisions made by judges.
“This is a very sad day. We want to see fair play in sport,” Mongolia’s chef de mission Badmaanyambuu Bat Erdene said. “For some of these athletes they have only one chance for a gold medal and it has been cruelly taken away from them.”
China surged to 125 golds, 71 ahead of hosts South Korea, with four days’ competition remaining in Incheon, west of Seoul.
Xie Wenjun cemented his status as the heir to China’s former Olympic champion and ex-world record-holder Liu Xiang, winning the 110m hurdles comfortably in 13.36 seconds.
Li Jinzhe won the men’s long jump and Li Ling claimed the women’s pole vault as China enjoyed a positive evening at the near-empty, 62,000-seat Incheon Main Stadium.
China’s divers pushed their bid for a perfect 10-title haul when Chen Ruolin and Liu Hiuxia won the women’s synchronized 10m platform and Cao Yuan and Lin Yue followed suit in the men’s 3m springboard.
“We practiced thoroughly, so that’s why we were able to get the gold medal. I’m very happy,” Cao said.
And China’s peerless table tennis players took the first two golds at the Games when they combined to win the men’s and women’s team titles.
In soccer, North Korea’s Jong Il-Gwan curled in the extra-time free-kick that downed Iraq 1-0 but he will miss the men’s final after being sent off shortly afterwards. Jong got a second yellow card during one of the many standoffs between the two sides and was ordered off, burying his face in his bright red shirt as he walked off the pitch.
South Korea joined them in tomorrow’s highly anticipated final, between two countries officially still at war, when they beat Thailand 2-0 in the last four.
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