Chinese pair sets team sprint record, Britain out
Source: Agencies |
August 3, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA set a women's team sprint world record twice in two races yesterday, minutes after host Britain had done the same and was then disqualified as the Olympic track cycling got off to a thrilling start.
Guo Shuang and Gong Jinjie clocked 32.422 seconds in the first round to go into the gold medal match with Germany having earlier managed 32.447 in qualifying.
British pair Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Varnish had been roared on by a passionate home crowd to set 32.526 after a shaky start in qualifying but were disqualified for an illegal change in the subsequent first round. The women's team sprint is making its debut at the Olympics.
The final in the humid velodrome was scheduled for later yesterday.
Elsewhere, world champion Wang Yihan led compatriots Wang Xin and Li Xuerui into the Olympic badminton semifinals yesterday, with only India's Saina Nehwal standing in the way of a Chinese sweep of women's singles. "I also feel like a Chinese," Nehwal joked. "It's a nice thing to be with them. The Chinese are very strong but I'm not worried about it."
China was already ensured of at least one gold medal when both of its top-seeded pairs reached the mixed doubles final.
Top-ranked Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei will face second-ranked Xu Chen and Ma Jin after both teams came back from losing the first game of their semifinals to make today's final.
Thai 17-year-old Ratchanok Intanon, the unprecedented winner of the last three junior world titles, threatened to upset the natural order when she was making Wang Xin, the No. 1 as recently as last year, look ordinary. Ratchanok was three points from victory but couldn't close the deal, then was hampered by a right foot injury halfway through the third game and Wang Xin pounced to win 17-21, 21-18, 21-14.
Guo Shuang and Gong Jinjie clocked 32.422 seconds in the first round to go into the gold medal match with Germany having earlier managed 32.447 in qualifying.
British pair Victoria Pendleton and Jessica Varnish had been roared on by a passionate home crowd to set 32.526 after a shaky start in qualifying but were disqualified for an illegal change in the subsequent first round. The women's team sprint is making its debut at the Olympics.
The final in the humid velodrome was scheduled for later yesterday.
Elsewhere, world champion Wang Yihan led compatriots Wang Xin and Li Xuerui into the Olympic badminton semifinals yesterday, with only India's Saina Nehwal standing in the way of a Chinese sweep of women's singles. "I also feel like a Chinese," Nehwal joked. "It's a nice thing to be with them. The Chinese are very strong but I'm not worried about it."
China was already ensured of at least one gold medal when both of its top-seeded pairs reached the mixed doubles final.
Top-ranked Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei will face second-ranked Xu Chen and Ma Jin after both teams came back from losing the first game of their semifinals to make today's final.
Thai 17-year-old Ratchanok Intanon, the unprecedented winner of the last three junior world titles, threatened to upset the natural order when she was making Wang Xin, the No. 1 as recently as last year, look ordinary. Ratchanok was three points from victory but couldn't close the deal, then was hampered by a right foot injury halfway through the third game and Wang Xin pounced to win 17-21, 21-18, 21-14.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
