Team Victory for Chinese Taipei at the Asian Junior Rowing Championships

Chinese Taipei topped the medal table at the Asian Junior Championship, which were held on Hong Kong’s Shing Mun River regatta course over the weekend.

With 3 gold and 2 silver medals Chinese Taipei beat Hong Kong into second place (2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze), and Korea into third (2 gold and 1silver).  A large entry, excellent racing conditions and a good standard of organization characterized the Championships.

The junior men’s single scull was a closely fought battle with Qu Xiao Ming from China edging into the lead at the 1500 meter mark to take the gold medal in 7:07.91. Wang Ming Hui of Chinese Taipei was second in 7:08.98 and Hong Kong’s Chow Kwong Wing was a distant third in 7:29.73. Korea, Kazakhstan and Japan made up the remaining three places.

In the women’s single scull, Lee Ka Man of Hong Kong lived up to her world ranking by winning the gold medal comfortably in a time of 8:04.13.  Hung Wan Ping of Chinese Taipei was second in 8:13.06, facing off a strong finishing sprint by Dwibedy Pravasini of India who finished third in 8:13.44. Japan was fourth, followed by China and Indonesia.

The final of the men’s coxless fours was a fast and exciting race. After 500 meters, the top three crews ? Korea, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan were separated by less than a second.  At halfway, Korea drew slightly into the lead with Hong Kong and Kazakhstan still locked together. The Korean crew of Jun Jae Woo, Woo Dong Ri, Kwon Hyuk Jung and Won Hee Jong maintained their lead over the second half, drawing away to take the gold medal in a fast time of 6:06.59. The Hong Kong crew finished second in 6:08.93 and Kazakhstan were third in 6:11.54, followed by Chinese Taipei, China and Japan.

In the final of the women’s double sculls Chiu Yu Ting and Zhu Yuk of Chinese Taipei led from the start to win in a time of 7:18.20. Indonesia’s Masi Sri Ramayu and Batuwael Femy placed second in 7:20.41 and India’s Dwibedy Pravasini and Kang Gumoor Kaur third in 7:22.49. Korea was fourth, China fifth.

Hong Kong’s So Sau Wah and Lo Ting Wai – Gold Medalists Junior Men Double Sculls

In the men’s double sculls the Hong Kong duo of So Sau Wah and Lo Ting Wai took the gold medal in 6:33.79. Korea’s Ham Jung Wook and Kim Jung Kyum were second in 6:38.71 and China’s Li Chuan Zong and Wang Chuan Kai finished third in 6:48.01. Japan were fourth, India fifth and Chinese Taipei sixth.

One of the day’s most dramatic races came in the final of the women’s quadruple sculls. Chinese Taipei pulled into an early lead from the start and at the 1000 meter mark had a 3 second lead on the field but the Korean crew attacked strongly over the last 750 to cross the line in a spectacular photo finish. Reviewing the photo, it was impossible for the Jury to separate the two crews and the decision was made to award a gold medal to both crews. The finishing time for the winning crews was 6:48.20. China was third in 6:58.21.

In keeping with tradition, the last race of the Championships was the men’s eights. Chinese Taipei took the lead off the start, followed closely by Hong Kong. With both Federations already having won two gold medals at the Championships, a fierce battle ensued over who would top the overall medal table. Despite the cheers from a large crowd of enthusiastic local supporters, Chinese Taipei was able to hold off the challenge to win in a time of 5:54.82. Hong Kong was second in 5:57.74 and China third in 6:13.67.