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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 22, 2001

Day-10 Roundup: More Youngsters Come to the Fore at National Games

The field competitions on Day 10 of the Ninth National Games witnessed more veteran athletes fading out of the arena, and a string of youngsters coming to the fore. The veteran expect the youth to achieve greater success.


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The field competitions on Day 10 of the Ninth National Games witnessed more veteran athletes fading out of the arena, and a string of youngsters coming to the fore.

Youngsters come to the fore

  • A flashing spot on Wednesday was the 17-year-old Nurmaimaiti from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uigur Autonomous Region, who gripped the silver medal in men's discus throw with 62.36m, only 0.48 meters short of the gold medalist and world champion Li Shaojieof East China's Shandong.

    The Uigur lad bettered the national junior record of 60.80 meter by 1.56m in his sixth and last trial. The bronze medalist Wu Tao, 18, from Northeast China's Liaoning,overtook his coach Ma Wei, who was representing Qinghai at the current national games in men's discus. Ma was pleased with Wu's performance, saying he "has a promising future in the field."

  • In women's shot put, the 20-year-old Li Meiju from North China's Hebei Province won the gold with 18.92m, while her teammate and childhood idol Li Meisu came out empty-handed.

    Some veteran fade out

  • The senior Li, now 42 years old, was Seoul Olympic bronze winner and Asian record-holder. But she finished eighth with 18.39m in Wednesday afternoon's competition.

  • Li Meiju, champion at the 1998 world junior games in Moscow, told a group of reporters after the contest, "My success today is deeply indebted to Li Meisu, who has helped me a lot both in the improvement of techniques and in everyday life, and I have a long way to go to catch up with the record she has set."

  • Li Meisu created the national and Asian record in women's shot put with 21.76m in 1988. She was glad for the junior Li's triumph but expected the young athlete to make greater achievements in the sport.

  • Veteran cyclist Guo Longchen from host Guangdong Province took the lead in men's 40km road time trial though he fell off the bikeonce at halfway.

    The 37-year Guo, four-time national games veteran and Asian Games bronze medalist, crossed the finishing line in 56 minutes and 41.357 seconds.

  • In women's 20km road time pursuit, Jiangsu's Li Meifang took the gold in a time of 29:52.454. The strength-displaying arena in Jiangmen was rather uneventful,without any world records being challenged in the weightlifting battles of men's 85kg and 94kg categories.

  • Yuan Aijun, world champion in 1999 from East China's Jiangsu Province, secured the gold medal of the 85kg division with a combined weight of 385kg (175kg in snatch and 210.0kg in jerk), 10kg short of the world standard set by the International Weightlifting Federation.

  • In the 94kg class, world champion Qin Guang from Jiangxi defeated all his rivals by raising a total weight of 387.5kg, 2.5kg heavier than the national mark set by the Chinese Weightlifting Association.

    Qin Guang scored a result of 175kg in the snatch and 212.5kg inthe clean and jerk. Champions of four categories -- 54kg, 63kg, 76kg and 97kg - in freestyle wrestling in Zhaoqing, 110 kilometers southeast from Guangzhou, were decided on the day without any suspense.

    A total of 26 golds in seven events will be determined on Thursday,including track and field, sculls, men's weightlifting, wrestling and badminton.



    Some 20,000 Participants at the National Games

    Participating in the 15-day games are some 20,000 athletes, coaches and officials of 45 delegations from various provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, the People's Liberation Army, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and sports associations of such trades as railways, coal mining, forestry, finance and banking and aviation, and representatives of media organizations from home and abroad.

    On the games program are the finals of 30 sports and 345 events,with a total of 358 gold medals on offer. Except for traditional Chinese martial arts Wushu, all are Olympic sports.




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