Paddler Wakes up to His Potential
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22 THURSDAY MARCH 1, 2007 SPORTSCHINA CHINA DAILY INBRIEF Liu ready ‘Female Wayne Rooney’ in Paddler wakes up to his potential Laureus award contention for Robles Chinese teenage women’s soccer sensation Ma Xiaoxu Wang Hao dreams of 2008 gold has become the only nominee rivalry from China and Asia for the Laureus World Newcomer of after overcoming Athens nightmare ATHLETICS the Year award. Chinese Olympic gold medal- By Zhao Rui ers, Wang Hao was written off China’s Olympic 110-meter ist Liu Xiang, who won the by many in China after Athens hurdles champion Liu Xiang 2005 Laureus World New- because of his supposed weak has been training hard in comer of the Year, was not For two years Wang Hao would mentality. preparation for future clashes nominated this year. wake up in the middle of the He failed to win a major against rising Cuban star Day- “I really could not believe night, feeling utterly alone. event for two years, losing to ron Robles, his offi cial website that I was nominated,” said The 23-year-old table tennis teammate Wang Liqin at the said yesterday. Ma, 19, who won MVP and star was troubled by a recurring National Games fi nals in 2005 Liu, who has split titles with Golden Boot awards at the nightmare – losing to South and then bowing to Ma Lin at 20-year-old Robles in their two Youth World Championships Korean rival Rye Seung-min in the World Cup last year. indoor duels so far this season, and is dubbed the “Wayne front of a packed arena near the “I didn’t know what I was resumed training in his home- Rooney” of the women’s faraway Aegean Sea. going to do after the Athens town Shanghai on February game on account of her The match was the men’s Games,” he was quoted as say- 20, only three days after the superb talent and spiky singles final at the 2004 ing on Sina.com. “There was a Chinese lunar new year. personality. Athens Olympic Games, and lot of pressure and criticism. “Liu is in superb training She also won the AFC’s the 5-1 thrashing he endured I think it was my family who form and practised very hard Women’s Player of the Year threatened to cast a shadow helped me stay on track.” after the Chinese lunar new and will join the Swedish over the rest of his career. Wang said his 2006 success year, although he did not have women’s soccer champions Three years on, however, and taught him how to win again. a good rest during the festival,” Umea IK next week. Wang is sleeping sound. He has “The latest victories helped said Liu’s coach Sun Haiping Considered China’s biggest fi nally beaten his rival Rye, and me realize that I can win big yesterday on the website. soccer discovery in recent is looking well positioned to go tournaments. I don’t want to “I think he really sensed the years, she fl ew to her domestic for gold at the 2008 Beijing reach the fi nals and only fi n- menace posed by the improving club Dalian Shide on Sunday Olympics. ish runner-up. I don’t want to Robles since last year. to seal visa arrangements and “That summer made me a be a No 2. I now know I should Liu, the 110m hurdles world will arrive in Sweden to sign man,” Wang told Table Tennis be calm and positive,” he was record holder, set a new Asian a contract in a week’s time. World magazine. “I called my quoted as saying by Titan winning record time of 7.42 She will miss the upcoming mother six times that night, I Sports in January. seconds in the 60-meter event Algarve Cup. cried many times. I lost my con- Wang’s father Wang Zhong- at the Karlsruhe Indoors tour- fi dence and kept on blaming my- quan believes his son has nament in Germany on Febru- Women’s soccer team self for the loss. I cannot believe I every chance of winning gold ary 11. It was his second title leave for Algarve Cup conquered the nightmare. in Beijing. of the season following another China’s women’s soccer team “But now I am more mature, “I was overwhelmed watch- German victory in Dusseldorf on left on Sunday for the 2007 and I’m hungrier for victory. ing him play at the Asian February 6. Algarve Cup slated for early I feel I am tougher than ever Games,” he told Table Tennis Meanwhile Robles, who rose in March in Portugal. before.” World. the IAAF World Rankings from The team, who finished The turning point for Wang “He has stepped out of the 28th at the beginning of 2006 to second at the recently came in December last year, Athens shadow and has be- fi rst place last September, set a concluded Four Nations when he swept the highly- come a great man with great season-best 7.38 seconds in the Invitation Tournament in competitive Doha Asian Games motivation. I am confident Stuttgart indoors to beat Liu. Guangzhou, plays a friendly and International Table Tennis that he is able to stand on top Robles is now second to Liu match with France in Paris Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour of the podium at the Beijing in the rankings on 1387 points, today before heading for the Finals. Olympics.” just 13 behind. annual event starting on He took revenge on Rye in However, national team head “I have made good relations March 7. Doha, where he beat him in coach Liu Guoliang believes with the Chinese athlete. It has China are in Group A along- both singles and the team Wang Hao still needs to be been a great experience (com- side Sweden, Finland and the competition. more aggressive. peting with Liu) as I have to United States. “I really needed the success “You have to be dare to think adapt my training,” the Cuban at the Asian Games, it was a big and that’s Wang Hao’s prob- told the IAAF website after win- Top taekwondoists to dream come true. But I have a lem,” Liu, a former world cham- ning the Stuttgart title. gather in Beijing in May bigger dream – to play at my pion, told Table Tennis World. But the promising youngster The only two back-to-back top level at the Beijing Games. “Sometimes he is too modest. won’t be content with just beat- Olympic taekwondo cham- That’s my ultimate goal,” It seems he doesn’t have the ing Liu: he also wants to top pions will attend the 2007 Wang was quoted as saying on desire to be world No 1 or beat the world record Liu recorded Beijing WTF World Taekwondo Sina.com earlier this month. Wang Liqin. He has too many on July 11 last year in Lausanne, Championships in May in “(December) was a new runner-up trophies.” Switzerland. Beijing’s Changping District, beginning for me, and it ended Wang Hao will vie for the “I think Liu’s record (12.88) tournament organizers said my dark days that followed the three places on the men’s Ol- is beatable,” said Robles last Steven Lopez (men’s 80kg) of Athens defeat.” ympic team with Wang Liqin, September. the United States and Chen Despite being one of the Ma Lin, Hao Shuai, Chen Qi and Zhong (women’s 67kg) of world’s top table tennis play- Ma Long. Wang Hao Xinhua China will compete in the 18th men’s and 11th women’s championships from May 18 to 22 in Changping Gymna- sium. Lopez and Chen won at both the 2000 Sydney and Grassroots golf league prepares to swing into action 2004 Athens Olympics. The event, organized by the ATHLETICS The total prize money for seen as a sport for wealthy can be three or four times that in China is relatively under- players.” World Taekwondo Federa- the national fi nals is 1.06 mil- people in China.” much on the weekend. funded. The China Golf As- It is also believed the CGCL tion, the China State General China has teed up an improve- lion yuan ($130,000), while China has more than 200 Zhang said that new league sociation (CGA) has put much will expand co-operation Administration of Sports, ment in grassroots golf by the champion club will be golf clubs, and about 1 mil- would improve the sport’s or- stock in fi nding a player who between clubs from different the Beijing People’s Govern- launching its first national awarded 200,000 yuan and a lion golfers out of a total ganization. will have a similar impact on provinces and cities. ment, the China Taekwondo league – the 2007 Buick China Buick GL8. population of 1.3 billion. This “We will learn from organ- the sport as Houston Rockets “It will become the best plat- Association and the Beijing Golf Club League (CGCL). “The league is a strong en- compares to 30 million play- izing the league competition center Yao Ming has had on form for clubs to compete and Sports Bureau, will attract From April 20 to July 10, gine for the rapid development ers from the United States’ 250 about how to control the scale, basketball. share ideas. Meanwhile, local 1700 athletes and offi cials provincial level competitions of the sport. It is also a strong million population, 16 million how to improve the structure “We have been think- associations will be pushed from around 140 countries will take place, with winners push for the sport’s marketing out of 120 million people in and how to smooth out the ing about it every day,” said to play a more important role.