Weather changes, Games continue uninterupted
Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from China
Gloomy skies and thunder showers were the order of the day but most
events on the Games proper were conducted without much interruption on
day seven of the XX1Xth Olympic Games continued in the Chinese capital
here on Thursday.
The Beijing weather took a U turn, ending the hot and humid
conditions the Olympians experienced last week with temperatures running
as high as 34 degrees Celsius. However, light drizzles which developed
in the last two days turned into thunder showers, making life
comfortable for some competitors while disrupting events such as tennis.
Nevertheless, the excitement was at its best at the Water Cube today
- the National Aquatic Centre. Despite the American dominance during the
last four days with Micheal Phelps winning five gold medals here to
increase his Olympic gold haul for a record 11, things did not go well
for the USA in the four swimming finals worked off today.
The Americans, who had won seven gold medals, five silver and seven
bronze in swimming alone during the past four days, had to be satisfied
with just two gold medals in the four finals worked off this morning.
It was the hosts China’s day at the Water Cube with Zige Liu and
Liuyang Jiao making a clean sweep in women’s 200m butterfly final. Liu
thrilled the home crowd when she bagged China’s first swimming gold
medal at the Beijing Games with a timing of two minutes, 4.18 seconds -
a new world record. Liu, who had qualified fastest for the final in an
Asian record of 2:06.25, lowered the existing world mark by 1.22
seconds.
It turned out to be a double celebration for the home supporters who
were in their numbers. Though China has dominated in diving, it was for
the first time that they took major honours in swimming. Liu’s team mate
Jiao finished second in 2:04.72 to take the silver medal. But former
world record holder Jessicah Schipper of Australia, who recovered from a
poor heat swim to qualify second fastest for the final, took the Chinese
pair out hard and early and was 1.12 seconds under her own world mark at
the halfway mark.
But the Aussie lass tired in the second half of the race and was
overtaken in the final 50m, having to make go with the bronze medal in a
time of 2:06.26. Defending Olympic champion Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland
finished a poor fourth in 2:07.02.
Then came that shock of the day as Australia sprang one of the upsets
of the swimming competition when their unheralded women’s 4 x 200m
freestyle relay team won the gold medal in style - with a new world
record timing of seven minutes and 44.31 seconds, slicing 5.78 off the
previous best time.
Anchored by double individual medley gold medallist Stephanie Rice,
Australia trailed the French at the first changeover but Bronte Barratt
then swam an inspiring second leg to push the Australians to the front.
Kylie Palmer next delivered a cutting third leg with a split of 1:55.22,
driving Australia clear of the chasing Chinese who were left fighting
the USA.
Then in the last change, the Australians cut 4.71 seconds under the
world mark. USA’s Katie Hoff and China’s Pang Jiaying chased Australia’s
Linda Mackenzie by swimming 1:54 splits. They were eating into
Mackenzie’s lead, but failed to catch her. After holding second place
for most of the relay, China finished with the silver in an Asian record
time of 7:45.93.
France’s Alain Bernard turned the tables on world record holder Eamon
Sullivan of Australia to win the gold medal in the Men’s 100m Freestyle,
in an exciting battle for supremacy. Sullivan and Bernard exchanged
world records on Wednesday with Sullivan responding to Bernard’s world
record of 47.20 in the first semifinal by lowering the mark by another
0.15 to 47.05 in the second semifinal.
Today Bernard enjoyed the last laugh, claiming the gold medal in a
time of 47.21. Sullivan was 0.04 outside world record pace at the 50m
mark and looked comfortable, only to tire and let Bernard bring the race
home to the wall-touch first and relegate Sullivan to the silver medal
in a time of 47.32.
But the biggest disappointment was Olympic champion Pieter van den
Hoogenband of the Netherlands, who recorded his quickest time in eight
years to qualify for the final, failed in his quest for a record three
straight 100m Olympic titles, finishing fifth in 47.75.
China continued to take a commanding lead in the latest medals
standings, on day seven of the XX1Xthe Olympiad. The hosts have bagged
22 gold medals, eight silver and five bronze.
The US is still way behind, though they remained in the second spot.
They have just ten gold medals, nine silver and 15 bronze to their
credit.
In the third place is South Korea with six golds, seven silver and
three bronze medals, followed by Italy with six golds, five bronze and
three silver medals.
In a rematch of his Athens quarterfinal loss, Cuban wrestler Mijain
Lopez this time prevailed over defending Olympic champion Khasan Baroev
of Russia 5-0, 1-1, to claim the gold in the Men’s Greco-Roman 120kg
wrestling weight class today.
Lopez was knocked out by Baroev in the quarterfinals of the Athens
Games to finish fifth. Lopez’s gold is the first for Cuba in Beijing. As
a traditional wrestling powerhouse, Cuba has collected five wrestling
gold medals at previous Olympic Games.
BEIJING, Thursday. |