The Busan Asian Games five-day gymnastics events, which ended
Saturday, produced six deadheats for individual apparatus golds,
bringing the 14-event gold tally to 21, with China sweeping 13 of
them.
Thirteen golds were awarded for the eight men's contests and eight
for the six women's finals in the last two days of the tournaments,
with more than 80 gymnasts from twenty countries and regions to
compete.
"I
think it is about friendship. At times, it is difficult to decide
who is the better performer," said Gwo Fong-way, a technical
official from Chinese Taipei.
The ties started Friday in the men's pommel horse, where Chinese
talented gymnastics novice Teng Haibin shared the top honor with
Kim Hyon-il from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at an
equal score of 9.750.
Kim Hyon-il was the non-Chinese to collect a gold medal in the
14-events gymnastics competitions.
The bronze medal went to Takehiro Kashima of Japan at 9.700.
On
the rings, Chinese Olympic champion Huang Xu leveled with host
South Korea's veteran gymnast Kim Dong-hwa, scoring an identical
point of 9.800, in the first place, while Japan's rising gymnastics
star Hiroyuki Tomita seized the bronze with a point of 9.600.
Huang Xu, who also got three golds -- on the team, rings and
parallel bars, said: "I think the rings gold is most valuable of
the three, as the apparatus is not my specialty, but I did my
best."
But Huang expected his championship on the rings, so did his
family, he said.
Huang also tied with his teammate and Olympic champion Li Xiaopeng
on the parallel bars Saturday, as both of Olympic champions are
strong on the apparatus.
"I
am very happy with the result. My strongest rival is Xiaopeng and
we both came out as champions," Huang told Xinhua, adding he had
"thought of the result, because I think I have the power to snatch
the gold on the parallel bars."
Li
Xiaopeng was also the champion of the men's vault that was decided
before the parallel bars on Saturday.
South Korea's Kim Seung-il, floor champion of the Asiad, scored
9.750 to take the bronze medal, while compatriot veteran Kim
Dong-hwa, was kicked to the six place after posting 9.625.
Tomita, a strong challenger of Chinese gymnasts, recorded an
event-low 8.750 as he fell off the bars. He was the first to
perform on the parallel bars.
Yernar Yerimbetov of Uzbekistan, a formidable contender, finished
fourth with 9.700, equaled by Kim Hyon-il from the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea with an identical score.
Women player Zhang Nan from China, who saw the biggest harvest of
four golds at the Asiad, shared the top honor on the uneven bars
with Han Jong-ok from the DPR Korea on Friday.
"I
am very happy to get my third gold in this Asian Games. This is an
unexpected honor because I don't think I performed well enough,"
said Zhang, an international debutante.
Han collected the second gold medal for the DPRK, which was
predicted as dark horse in the gymnastics event because few knew
its real power due to its little presence in major international
games.
The tie drama culminated Saturday in the men's horizontal bar
event, on which three champions were decided at an equal score of
9.800.
Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita deadheated with Yang Tae-seok of South
Korea and Teng on the high bar, the last men's gymnastics event of
the fortnight Asiad starting on Sept. 29.
All four judges gave 9.800 to Teng Haibin, who completed a perfect
and gorgeous routines on the high bar, but his result was shown on
the score board as 9.775 due to a computer error.
It
was until the last moment that Teng was informed to receive his
title of the high bar.
"I
was told before the medal ceremony that I had won. I think it's a
fair decision as my performance was worth a gold medal," the
16-year-old said, "The medal was a business of the judges, not
mine."
The last deadheats occurred in the women's floor exercise, the last
event to wrap up the gymnastics rivalries.
Zhang Nan again leveled Olympic and world champion Oskana
Chusovitina of Uzbekistan with smooth and beautiful executions
recording 9.350.
Chusovitina, a 27-year-old mother and the oldest gymnastic athlete,
snatched the gold medal on the vault, her specialty.
Kim Ji-young of South Korea registered 9.150 to take the bronze on
the floor.
Chinese young gymnast Kang Xin grasped the gold medal on the
balance beam Saturday, edging Chusovitina and DPRK's Pyon Kwang-sun
to the second and third places.
From Tuesday to Thursday, China, Asia's gymnastics powerhouse,
swept all the four golds in the events of the men's and women's
team and all-around.
The silver of the men's team went to South Korea, while Japan
collected the bronze medal. The DPRK came fourth.
The women's team silver was awarded to DPRK and bronze to Japan,
with South Korea finishing fourth.
Chinese Olympic champion Yang Wei won the gold of the men's
all-around, his teammate Liang Fuliang grabbed the second
place.
Liang, another gymnastics genius to replace Olympic champion Xing
Aowei to participate in Asian Games due to latter's hand injury,
displayed extraordinary talent and power in the all-around
contest.
Chinese top gymnastics official Zhang Jian commented that Liang"
made no errors at all in all the six events," and Chinese team
Headcoach Huang Yubin echoed his comment.
Zhang Nan gripped the women's overall title, while Chusovitina got
the silver and Kang Xin came third.
China's Liu Wei and Huang Jing finished second and third on the
women's vault after Chusovitina, while Chen Miaojie finished empty
handed as she fell off her specialty uneven bars, leaving the
champion to Zhang Nan.
Zhang Jian hailed the performance of the Chinese gymnasts,
particularly the young ones such as triple gold winner Teng Haibin
and four gold holder Zhang Nan, but he also praised the tremendous
progress South Korea, the DPRK and Japan have made in gymnastics in
recent years.
"The DPRK has made formidable progress in recent years. South Korea
and Japan are also on the rise in the sport," Zhang said.
( October 6, 2002)