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December 13, 2009

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Home » Sports » East Asian Games

China marches on, HK soccer shines

CHINA closed in on the 100-gold medal mark at the fifth East Asian Games in Hong Kong, China, yesterday when the host won the men's soccer title for the first time.

China took a strong grip atop the nine-team standing, with 95 gold, 63 silver and 37 bronze to reach a total of 195 medals, ahead of Japan on 51-49-65. South Korea (36-36-53) was third.

China's Hong Kong stayed in fourth after a glorious day when it lifted the men's soccer championship, bagged three one-two finishes in squash and swept the podium in the men's individual road cycling.

China was overwhelming in rowing and diving, seizing all 10 titles on offer and dominated in five Wushu taolu events while Hong Kong kungfu athletes brought home the other one.

In the soccer final, Hong Kong continued its surprising journey to the very top as it defeated Japan for the title.

Cheered on by Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang and a capacity crowd at the 40,000-seat stadium, Wong Chin-hung scored the winning penalty as the host won 4-2 in a shootout following a 1-1 draw after regulation and extra time.

"I want to thank all our players. They were ready to die for Hong Kong," coach Kim Pan-gon said. "It was a great night."

It was seen as one of the biggest athletic victories this city of 7 million people has had since its only Olympic gold 13 years ago, when Lee Lai-shan won in women's surfing at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Hong Kong players were also victorious in squash, where six home pairs slugged it out for the men's, women's and mixed doubles gold medals.

In the men's individual road cycling, Hong Kong eventually fulfilled its dream of winning, not through famed veteran Wong Kam Po, but a younger Tang Wang Yip.

Windsurfing was almost an all-Hong Kong affair if not for South Korean Lee Taehoon's triumph in the men's Rs X event. Hong Kong surfers won the other three titles.

Athletics saw Japan bag seven out of 12 golds and China take four. South Korea had the only other title.

Chinese sprinters Su Bingtian and Tao Yujia held off Japanese rivals to take the men's and women's 100-meter sprint titles.

Su claimed the men's gold by crossing in 10.33 seconds - 0.06 seconds before Shintaro Kimura. Tao posted a winning time of 11.70 seconds, with Mayumi Watanabe trailing by 0.13 seconds.

China also won in the women's 1,500 and the women's hammer throw.

But Japan found winning form in other track and field events, taking gold in the men's and women's 400 hurdles, the men's discus, the men's pole vault and the men's 1,500 and 10,000.

South Korea's Jung Hye-kyung came first in the women's triple jump.

In judo, Japanese athletes collected half the titles while China and South Korea had two apiece and Hong Kong walked away with one.

South Korea had two golds in ten-pin bowling, clinching the men's and women's masters titles.

The South Koreans were also victorious in women's field hockey, beating China 4-1 in the final.




 

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