DPR Korea Surprises at East Asia Games

Racing in the heart of Macau

Rowing at the 4th East Asian Games concluded on Saturday at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Centre in the heart of Macau, China with DPR Korea demonstrating their new-found rowing power. Due to the lack of a suitable 2000 meter race venue in Macau, the regatta was raced in a four-lane sprint format over 500 meters. This proved highly successful with Nam Van Lake providing an outstanding city-centre venue and the close racing delighting large numbers of spectators who came to watch.

The East Asian Games are held every four years with competition in Olympic sports plus host nation choice (Macau included dragon boating and wushu). They include competitors from nine countries and regions ? China, Japan, Korea, DPR Korea, Hong Kong China, Macau China, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia and Guam. Mongolia and Guam do not yet have rowing programmes, but the remaining seven include some of the strongest federations in Asia. This produced a large field of 47 crews, with some 100 athletes contesting eight boat classes.

Participation by Olympians from Athens, medalists from China’s National Games and from the recent Asian Championships in India, dictated an extremely high standard of racing and, with the 500 meter sprint format, the photo-finish system kept busy throughout the regatta.

Regional rowing power China again led the medal table with four gold medals. But the surprise of the regatta was the strong challenge mounted by crews from DPR Korea who claimed two golds, one silver and two bronze medals finishing second overall. The gold medals for DPR Korea came in the women’s lightweight events. Hong Ung Yong of DPR Korea caused an upset when she beat China’s Yan Shi Min in the women’s lightweight single. Min won gold at this years BearingPoint Rowing World Cup Regatta in Eton. Another surprise came in the women’s lightweight double with Kim Myon Gok and Ro Kum Suk of DPR Korea beat China’s National Games gold medalists Yu Hau and Fu Feng Jun.

The men’s lightweight double sculls event produced some of the fastest and most exciting racing of the regatta. Favourites, Daisaku Takeda and Kazushige Ura from Japan suffered a narrow defeat to DPR Korea in the preliminary heats which forced them to go through the repechage. They turned the tables in the finals, however, to take the gold medal in an impressive time of 1:26.84.

Singles sprinting the 500 metre city course

With China having won the women’s pair, men’s lightweight single, men’s coxless four and women’s quad, the remaining gold medal of the regatta was taken by Kim Dal Ho and Ham Jung Wook of Korea in the men’s double.

Competitors and spectators alike had high praise for the outstanding work carried out by the hosts. Macau now has young athletes, an active rowing Federation, an experienced group of local officials and umpires, and a world-class sprint venue.

China dominated the Games overall with a final tally of 223 medals, including 127 gold. Japan were the runners up with 179 medals, including 46 golds and Korea completed the ?big three? Asian sporting powers with 145 medals, including 32 golds. Hosts Macau won an amazing 11 gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals ? in contrast to only one gold and five bronze won in all of the three previous editions of the Games ? a direct result of their huge investment into sport over recent years.

The next East Asian Games will be held in Hong Kong in 2009.

Result Summary of Finals

W2-  CHN  1:42.20                   ML2x  JPN  1:26.84
         KOR  1:42.57                               PRK  1:27.04
         HKG  1:48.38                               CHN  1:28.87
         TPE  1:52.22                                HKG  1:30.21

M2x  KOR  1:24.92                  WL2x  PRK  1:38.26
         CHN  1:26.38                              CHN  1:39.09
         TPE  1:27.87                               JPN  1:40.78
         HKG  1:28.33                              HKG  1:41.27

ML1x  CHN  1:36.24                 M4-  CHN  1:21.15
           JPN  1:36.54                            KOR  1:22.40
            PRK  1:37.24                          JPN  1:24.00
           KOR  1:38.18                           TPE  1:25.03

WL1x  PRK  1:47.00                 W4x  CHN  1:29.31
            CHN  1:48.09                           KOR  1:33.07
            JPN  1:49.70                            PRK  1:33.73
            KOR  1:49.71                           JPN  1:35.01

Copy thanks to Chris Perry, FISA’s development consultant for Asia.

The World Rowing media team values feedback