22 THURSDAY APRIL 5, 2007 SPORTSCHINA CHINA DAILY INBRIEF SHOOTING Sharpshooters win two golds in World Cup USA Athens Olympic champion Zhu Qinan and Zhang Yi scored a double victory for China on the opening day of the World Cup USA 2007 on Monday in Colorado. Zhu scored a total of 702.5 points to win the men’s 10- meter air rifl e title. Teammate Liu Tianyou took the bronze with 698.8 points and Matt Emmons of the United States captured the silver in 699.6. Twenty-year-old Zhang re- corded a total of 503.3 points for the gold. German ace Sonja Pfeilschifter fi nished second in 502.7 points and Jamie Beyerle of the US was third in 502.6 points. China’s Olympic champion Du Li fi nished sixth in 500.9 Second-placed Wu Peng (right) of China congratulates Michael Phelps of the US after the men’s 200m butterfl y swimming fi nal at the World Aquatics Championship in Melbourne on March 28. Wu points, behind teammate and said beating Phelps was a huge challenge, but he will try his best to catch up before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Reuters National Games champion Yin Wen, 501.6 points. On Tuesday, Ren Jie was the best Chinese after she won sil- ver in the women’s air pistol. Swimming hopes sinking without trace Czech Lenka Maruskova won the gold. Worst Worlds effort in 15 years there is no guarantee of a med- someone to replace her,” Zhang in 4x200m. Right now, I have to desire to train overseas. SOCCER al,” he said in a group interview was quoted as saying. admit we have lost the advan- “Our training methods have hurts confi dence ahead of 2008 on his return. Luo’s departure ended Chi- tage and we have to reassess problems. I want to go abroad Sina and Soccer cooperate China’s women’s 4x100m na’s gold prospects in 100m the team.” and get new training,” Zhang to produce sports news medley relay team won the breaststroke, and hopes in Lin, who fi nished 6th in men’s To provide an overall platform By Chen Xiangfeng of 2008 was the performance bronze medal, but fi nished a women’s 4x200m freestyle Training troubles 200m freestyle, told newspaper of sports news for Chinese of powerhouses like the United massive 6.23 seconds behind relay, considered a strong Adding to the pressure Soccer News. fans, Sina.com and Soccer States and Australia. winners Australia. event after a silver medal on Zhang were stories that Zhang set a personal best but Newspaper have reached an Zhang Yadong, head coach of Fourteen world records were China was the world record in Athens 2004, took a dive emerged in Melbourne con- was in no mood to celebrate af- agreement to set up a strategic China’s swimming team, is a set as swimmers like American setter in 1994 in the event and after a semifinal elimination cerning bizarre new training ter being defeated by South partnership and, as part of man under pressure after the Michael Phelps laid down their also won gold at the Barcelona in Melbourne. methods. Korea’s Park Tae-hwan, who their cooperation, they have team’s lackluster showing at markers ahead of the Beijing World Championships four “If she (Luo) was still around Top swimmer Qi Hui was won bronze. also launched the Olympic the World Championships in Games. years ago. we would have at least one gold made to live in low-oxygen “Before Park went abroad to Global Tour campaign. Melbourne. “Competing countries raised “Swimming has become medal,” Zhang said. conditions in a bid to improve train with an Australian coach, “We’ve established a new mode The once-powerful team their standard at the world an under-developed sport in “She could always aim for a her performance, but it back- we were almost neck and neck of co-operation between a managed only one silver medal championships, especially China. We are lagging behind gold medal but the most we can fired when she slumped to in the 200m. But now I’m lag- newspaper and a website. It is and one bronze in the worst Chi- America and Australia, crip- compared with four years ago. hope for now is merely to make a 25th place finish in 200m ging behind. He has improved a win-win result for us,” said nese performance at the Worlds pling China’s competitiveness. At that time, we had to rely on a semifi nal or a fi nal.” medley. mentally and physically after Chen Tong, editor-in-chief of in 15 years. As a result, China’s gold medal Luo Xuejuan to win gold. After “Before the tournament, I Her time of two minutes training overseas. Sina. “I’m really under huge pres- hopes at next year’s Beijing her retirement, we failed to fi nd thought we could win a medal and 19.05 seconds was 7.13 “I think China’s swimming “The 2008 Beijing Olympics sure. People expected the team Olympics look remote,” said second slower than her gold team should go abroad and is looming and we are aiming to show improvement and win Zhang. winning time at the Doha learn something new from to integrate more sources for medals. But our performance Even for silver medal winner Asian Games last December, foreign coaches.” Chinese sports fans. I promise wasn’t up to scratch,” he told Wu Peng, competing in men’s and she attributed it to the Zhang’s point of view was we will work together and give Titan Sports. 200m butterfl y, the difference training system. echoed by teammates Yang Yu more sports information with “If the offi cials have no trust between the best and the rest “My form has been incon- and Wu Peng. a sense of surprise and fun.” in me and sack me, I will not was daunting. sistent since I started training “We’re still at the same level The co-operation includes joint have any complaints. Despite a personal best with new methods,” she said while the world has developed teamwork during big sports “I have never thought about Wu still finished 3 seconds after the race. “My muscles very fast. I don’t think the events and sharing of sports it (quitting as head coach). I am behind Phelps, and after the was totally stiff and I just team prepared enough for the information. devoted to the job. I will always race he spoke of the massive found that I dropped behind world championships,” Yang do my best as long as I am in increase in speed in recent the other swimmers by half a told Soccer after her failure in MISCELLANEOUS the position. years. body length at the beginning the women’s 200m freestyle “People might think I have “The improvement is really of the race.” heats. Inner City games bring the right to make all the deci- obvious, but it inspires me to Zhang was forced to take the Meanwhile Wu has con- sports to communities sions as head coach of the na- work harder. The gap between blame for the fi asco: “It might fi rmed that he will train in the Hundreds of thousands of peo- tional team. But the truth is I Phelps and me is so big and it have something to do with the US in May. ple across 100 cities in China cannot solve many problems by is hard to catch up with him in new training methods.” “I am looking forward to may have the chance to take myself. Sometimes the feeling a year. China's top women’s swimmer Qi Hui blamed her failures at the Having watched Qi’s misfor- training with Phelps. I really part in the sports events from is torturous.” “I’ll defi nitely be swimming world championships on new training methods. She failed to tunes a number of swimmers want to learn something from this month after the “Meng Adding to the misery ahead in this event (in Beijing), but qualify for the fi nals of all three of her events. Reuters have already spoken of their him.” Niu Inter City Body-building Activities Demonstration” was launched last Friday. According to the organizers, about 630,000 people who are interested in sports can regis- Asian powerhouses ready to battle it out in Shandong ter to participate in activities. About 1,200 competitions will SOCCER two Chinese clubs – League China will learn something team players make up the back- make more efforts to promote the football at different ages.” be held in communities while and Cup champions Shandong from top teams of the other bone of the Seongnam side. tournament and make it a long- Teenager soccer fans from 300 competitions will be held By Luo Bin Luneng and last season’s run- two countries,” said Nan Yong, Shandong are home to the term fi xture in the calendar. poverty-stricken areas will be at squares in the cities. ners-up Shanghai Shenhua – to vice president of China Football two fi rst-choice strikers in the “The clubs are not simply invited to watch the games, The top 10 teams from each fi ght it out for the trophy and Association. national team – Li Jinyu and chasing trophies or prize and the organizing committee city could compete in the The fi fth edition of A3 Cham- $400,000 prize money. “I believe China will benefi t Han Peng - while playmaker money. We are hoping to de- has reached an agreement to second round as a whole team pions Cup, an annual soccer Clubs from South Korea have the most from the tournament.