Surprised China loses Asian Games rowing monopoly

By Melissa Bray

Rowing first became an Asian Games sport in 1982 and since then China has built a remarkable record. They have won all but three rowing gold medals. The ongoing nature of this achievement could be coming to an end. Over the two days of finals China was far from dominating the winners podium at the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

Uzbekistan pulled off a double header when their small fleet of rowers had back to back wins in the men’s double (Vladimir Chernenko and Rusian Naurzaliyev) followed by sisters Zarrina and Sevara Ganieva winning the lightweight women’s double.

The Ganieva sisters, who are full time athletes, have been racing internationally since 2003 and have finished as high as 14th in the world (2005).

Defending Asian Games champions in the lightweight men’s double, Japan (Busan, 2002), Takahiro Suda and Hideki Omoto successfully protected their title despite a late charge by Thailand that took the two boats to one of the closest finishes of the regatta. This was one of two gold medals for Japan when their men’s four secured a comfortable gold in the last race of the regatta.

An aggressive race by Eun Chui Shin of Korea earned him gold in the men’s single when he applied a stroke rate bordering on 40 strokes per minute for the majority of the 1000 metre race. Shin, 19, debuted internationally this year by racing at two of the Rowing World Cups. Pushing Shin hard, India’s Bajranglal Takhar kept his boat overlapping and finished, very content, with silver.

China managed to hold their own in the women’s double with Liang Tian and Qin Li winning over Korea by nearly seven seconds. Tian and Li raced to eighth in the world at this year’s World Rowing Championships in Eton and let their experience carry them through.

China’s single scullers turned out to be the saving grace of their country by maintaining a level of domination in theses events. In the lightweight men’s single young Chongkui Wu, 17, of China rowed with maturity against Japan rowing stalwart Daisaku Takeda, who turned 33 during the Games. Wu took the lead at the start, settled into a smooth 36 rhythm to outclass Takeda. This gave a disappointed Takeda silver and his fifth Asian Games medal.

Dongxiang Xu of China came through the regatta as the hot favourite of the lightweight women’s single and did not disappoint. Xu, however, was strongly challenged by Hong Kong China’s Ka Man Lee who hounded Xu for the entire 1000 metres. Thailand took third.

China also pulled off a gold in the women’s single with Ziwei Jin finishing well in front of Japan in second. Olympian Ziwei is regularly part of her country’s eight and at the Athens Olympics stroked the eight to a forth place finish.

For this final day of racing the water conditions at the 1000 metre West Bay Lagoon course were flat with rain and slight tail-cross wind conditions.

The Asian Games continue with over 12,000 athletes competing in 39 different sports.

Results

Women's double
1st China; Liang Tian, Qin Li
2nd Korea; Ok Kyung Kim, Yeong Eun Shin
3rd Kazakhstan; Mariya Filimonova, Inga Dudchenko

Men's double
1st Uzbekistan; Vladimin Chernenko, Rusian Naurzaliyev
2nd Korae; Dal Ho Kim, Jung Wook Ham
3rd China; Hui Su, Yonghui

Lightweight women's double1st Uzbekistan; Sevara Ganieva, Zarrina Ganieva
2nd Japan; Akiko Iwamoto, Eri Wakai
3rd Thailand; Phuttharaksa Nikree, Bussayamas Phaengkathok

Lightweight men's double
1st Japan; Takahiro Suda, Hideki Omoto
2nd Thailand; Ruthanaphol Theppibal, Anupong Thainjam
3rd India; Kiran Yalamanchi, Bijender Singh

Women's four
1st China; Ran Cheng, Chengxi Yu, Yanhua Gao, Suli Mu
2nd North Korea; Kum Sun Kang, Ok Bun Kim, Ryon Ok Kim, Sun Ok Yu
3rd Korea; Soon Rye Kim, Eun Seon Im, Mi Seon Eom, Su Hyoun Min

Lightweight women's single
1st China; Dongxiang Xu
2nd Hong Kong China; Ka Man Lee
3rd Thailand; Phuttharaksa Nikree

Lightweight men's single
1st China; Chongkui Wu
2nd Japan; Daisaku Takeda
3rd Thailand; Ruthtanaphol Theppibal

Women's single
1st China; Ziwei Jin
2nd Japan; Al Fukuchi
3rd Indonesia; Pere Karoba

Men's single
1st Korea; Eun Chul Shin
2nd India; Bajranglal Takhar
3rd Kazakhstan; Mikhail Garnik

Men's four
1st Japan; Yu Kataoka, Yuya Higashiyama, Rokuroh Okumura, Yoshinori Sato
2nd India; Dharmesh Sangwan, Jenil Krishnan, Sukhjeet Singh, Satish Joshi
3rd Indonesia; Thomas Hallatu, Sumardl Sumardi, Jamalludin Jamaluddin, Iswandl Iswandi

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