SUN's Brilliance Warms Pool
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SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 Sun’s brilliance warms pool INCHEON: Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen set the seal on China’s dominating pool performance at the Asian Games yester- day, while Qatar’s disappointed women’s basketball team slipped out of South Korea in the dead of night with the row over their hijabs rumbling on. China took their golden haul to 91 on the seventh day of competition in Incheon, and while South Korea reclaimed second spot from rivals Japan by one gold they are unlikely to get anywhere near the 90 titles targeted before the Games. The South Koreans had factored in a handful of archery golds into their projections but one title they won’t be win- ning is the men’s team recurve. Lee Seung-yun, Ku Bon-chan and Olympic champion Oh Jin-hyek had been going for South Korea’s ninth straight Asian Games gold in the event but were knocked out in the semi-finals by China in a gripping shoot-off. Local media lamented the defeat, calling it the end of South Korea’s dominance in the sport. While South Korea’s dominion over the archery world may be coming to an end, there are no shadows being cast on Sun Yang’s reign over long distance swimming. The Chinese sensation successfully defended his 1,500 metres freestyle title, coming home well ahead of his rivals, though in truth he had no competition. Sun swims with the grace of a dolphin and the killer instincts of a shark, but he showed he also has a heart of gold by presenting local hero Park Tae-hwan with a cake ahead of his 25th birthday. INCHEON: China’s Sun Yang competes in the men’s 1500m freestyle swimming event during the 17th Asian Games. — AFP ROOKIE NO MORE “Participating in the Olympic Games is the dream of headscarf, leaving athletes puzzled about the lack of con- Ye, who like Sun won two golds in Guangzhou four every athlete and I’ll also take part in the next Rio 2016 sistency and reasons behind the regulation. Female archers years ago before taking two Olympic titles in London, fin- Olympic Games,” she added. “I will challenge there again to from Iran, Iraq and Indonesia were free to compete wear- ished the Asian Games with three gold medals after her vic- break my world record.” ing their navy blue and black headscarves on Friday and tory in the 200 individual medley. “Four years ago I was a took aim at FIBA’s regulations. rookie swimmer and it was my first international meet,” she HIJAB ROW “I’m an archer and the hijab doesn’t cause me any prob- said. “It remains a good memory for me. I also think that With only 439 gold medals on offer for the 9,500 ath- lems such as abrasions or things like that,” Iran’s Shabnam these Asian Games will be a turning point in my swimming letes competing at the Asian Games, it is the thrill of the Sharlak told Reuters. career.” competition that makes the journey to South Korea worth- An Iranian coach standing nearby added: “Really, what Both Chinese swimmers will go into the Rio Olympics while for the vast majority. kind of problem does a hijab cause?” For the Asian Games with high hopes of gold, as will Kazakh breaststroke The same cannot be said for the Qatari women’s basket- and FIBA, it has become a big one.The row has tarnished machine Dmitry Balandin, who added the 50m title to ball team, however, who quit the competition after being the image of the Games, which are being run under the the 100m and 200m crowns he won earlier in the compe- denied permission to wear their hijabs. slogan of “Diversity Shines Here,” while FIBA has taken flak tition. The players chose to forgo their Asian Games dreams for failing to get rid of the rule. The 19-year-old slashed nearly six seconds off his best rather than abide by the International Basketball Human Rights Watch has told Reuters it should have time to win the 200m on Tuesday. The Moonlight Festival Federation’s (FIBA) rules banning headgear. been up to FIBA to prove why Qatari players should not Garden Weightlifting Venue has witnessed world records “The players looked sad about leaving but they totally wear headscarves. “In the case of basketball, it’s difficult to fall throughout the seven-day competition, and China’s understand the rule,” an assistant with Qatar’s National see how a ban on the headscarf is anything other than an Zhou Lulu made sure the curtain did not come down with- Olympic Committee told Reuters. unnecessary restriction on the players’ rights to religious out one more new mark being set on the final day. “Actually they were supposed to have training today. freedom and personal autonomy,” said the group. The The London Olympics champion added 2kg to the clean Everybody thought they would stay two or three more Games also learned that one of its officials had died due to and jerk world record, hoisting 192kg to win gold, and said days, but they left early.” a suspected heart attack early yesterday. Games organisers she wanted to go out at the pinnacle of her sport in two Basketball is the only sport at the Asian Games that does said he was to officiate in athletics road races such as years’ time. not allow women to wear headgear such as the Islamic marathons and race walks. — Reuters Sejwal wins rare swimming medal for India in pool INCHEON: Sandeep Sejwal won a rare swimming medal for India The Delhi-based Sejwal, who trains at Ameen’s academy in at the Asian Games yesterday, with his coach insisting that better Bangalore, said he may have won the gold at Incheon if he had facilities at home would have fetched him the gold. matched his personal best of under 28 seconds. Sejwal won the bronze in the 50m breaststroke with a time of “It was a close race, so who knows I may have finished first and 28.26secs, which was only the third Asiad medal in the pool by an heard the national anthem at the pool,” the 25-year-old said. “But Indian in the last 28 years. Khajan Singh had won a silver in the I will not give up.” 200m butterfly at Seoul in 1986 and Virdhawal Khade clinched a The event was won by Dmitriy Balandin of Kazakhstan in a bronze in the 50m butterfly event in Guangzhou four years ago. new Games record timing of 27.78s. Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki “I hope this medal will give Indian swimming a lift,” Sejwal’s clinched the bronze at 27.89s. coach Nihar Ameen told Indian reporters. “Better facilities and Sejwal, who was dropped for the London Olympics, said he technical support are needed, because without them it is hard to had finally proved his detractors wrong. “Maybe the swimming INCHEON: Bronze medallist India’s Sandeep Sejwal poses make a mark at the world level. “In the whole of India there is just federation had their reasons for keeping me out of the Olympics, with his medal on the podium during the victory ceremo- one swimming pool, in New Delhi, that has modern starting but now I have shown I can shine on the world stage,” he said. “Of ny for the men’s 50m breaststroke swimming event dur- blocks which were introduced at the Beijing Olympics. Surely this course, the Olympics in 2016 are my aim. I just need to train hard- ing the 17th Asian Games. — AFP is not enough.” er and cut out the mistakes I may be making.” — AFP.