GUANGZHOU: China’s Wang Shixian shocked world number one Wang Xin to win the women’s Asian Games badminton title Saturday as the hosts completed a clean-sweep of all seven table tennis gold.
The action came as India inflicted more pain on arch-rivals Pakistan in the field hockey, storming into the semi-finals with a 3-2 win for their fourth success over their bitter-rivals this year.
Victories by their paddlers and shuttlers helped push China’s gold medal haul to 138 while success at road cycling and golf helped South Korea extend their tally to 52 with Japan on 29. So far, 30 of the 45 nations and territories in Guangzhou have got themselves on the podium, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
World number four Wang Shixian upset her more illustrious and experienced teammate 21-18, 21-15 to take the women’s badminton honours while Hong Kong’s Yip Pui Yin and Eriko Hirose shared bronze.
Among the men, world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia defeated Chinese world champion Chen Jin 14-21, 21-15, 21-7 to reach the final, setting up a showdown with Chinese pin-up Lin Dan. Lin bulldozed his way past South Korea’s Park Sung-Hwan 21-14, 21-10 to reach the decider.
China, meanwhile, made it seven-out-of-seven table tennis gold when Li Xiaoxia stunned teammate and compatriot Guo Yue 4-3 for the women’s title and world number one Ma Long beat Wang Hao 4-2 for the men’s crown. Li mounted a stunning comeback from three games down, overcoming early nerves to win.
China had already won the men’s and women’s team events as well as the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles. It was a South Korea 1-2 in the road cycling with Lee Min-Hye winning the women’s individual time trial and Choe Hyeong-Min collecting the men’s version.
More Korean success came on the golf course where they swept all four titles, including the men’s and women’s team events for the second Games in succession Kim Meen-Whee collected the men’s individual gold while Kim Hyun-Soo clinched the women’s tournament.
Hong Kong’s Marco Fu, meanwhile, shattered Ding Junhui’s hopes of a third successive Asian Games snooker gold when he defeated the Chinese favourite 4-2.
