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Beijing Olympics 2008: Chen and Pang give China near perfect start in medal race

BEIJING: China got off to a near perfect start Saturday in its bid to top the Olympic medal table with weightlifter Chen Xiexia clinching their first gold and sharpshooter Pang Wei adding a second.

But the immense pressure to claim the opening medal of the Games proved too much for Du Li, who failed to defend her women’s 10m Air Rifle title and finished fifth. Tan Xue, meanwhile, crashed out of the women’s sabre fencing competition in the quarter-finals, depriving China of a podium finish that many expected. Chen and Pang though didn’t disappoint the country’s 1.3 billion people, still puffed with pride after a dazzling opening ceremony showcasing the nation’s ancient civilization and an offer of friendship to the world. Chen, the world champion, set two Olympic records for the women’s 48kg class by lifting 117kg in the clean and jerk on the way to a total lift of 212kg. Turkey’s Sibel Ozkan took silver and Taiwan’s Chen Wei-Ling the bronze.

“I have been thinking of winning a medal but never thought it would turn out to be the first gold medal for China,” said the ecstatic 25-year-old, who was a roared on by a patriotic crowd. “It added different meaning to the medal.” It was an impressive performance by Chen who pulled a leg muscle in July which almost cost her an Olympic berth and triggered concerns about her form. China has been the dominant country in women’s weightifting since it was first included on the Olympic schedule at Sydney in 2000 and coach Ma Wenguang has set a target of four golds for his women in Beijing. Pang, the reigning world champion, boosted patriotic fervour by winning the men’s 10m Pistol gold, edging out South Korea’s Jin Jong-Oh and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Su.

He led from start to finish, scoring 586 points in the qualification rounds before shooting 102.2 in the eight-man final, watched by some 5,000 cheering Chinese fans. “Winning the world championships was important, but the Olympics is the highest level of sport when all eyes are on you,” said Pang. “It is difficult to control your emotions at the Olympics. It is such a great feeling to win.” Expectations were high that Du would win the first gold of the Games but the 26-year-old failed to deliver, blaming it on pressure. “It’s okay, I scored 399 points getting to the final and I’m satisfied with it,” said Du. “But as for the final, I wasn’t fully prepared for the pressure of competing at home.” Czech shooter Katerina Emmons, who equalled Du’s world record of 504.9 points earlier this year, took the honours instead, with Lioubov Galkina of Russia winning silver and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia the bronze.

China’s shooting manager Xiao Haopeng said he expected crack-shot Du to bounce back in the 50m Rifle Three-Positions event next Thursday. “The first gold medal at the Olympic Games is really a magnet for worldwide media and worldwide viewers,” he said. “So there is inevitably more pressure on the athletes.” At Athens four years ago, China finished with 32 gold, 17 silver and 14 bronze medals to place second behind the United States and the country is confident of finishing first on home turf. Aside from weightlifting and shooting, its best hopes come in sports like table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and diving, as well as canoeing, boxing, and synchronized swimming. In the pool, Zhang Lin clocked a personal best of 3mins 43.35secs to make the men’s 400m freestyle final alongside Grant Hackett, while Zhou Yafei made the women’s 100m butterfly semis in a new Asian record time of 57.70secs. Li Xuanxu qualified for the women’s 400m individual medley final. China’s all-conquering men’s gymnastics team, featuring three world champions, powered to top spot in their qualification section, shouldering aside the United States on the way. afp

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