 |
Ma's Runners Head China's Track Squad
China named 40 athletes to the country's Olympic track and field squad last week. Controversial track coach Ma Junren proved that no one can shatter his status in the nation after seven of his runners made the list, according to Monday's Chinadaily.
The nation's athletic association (CAA) said that whether the athletes can enter the final eight in their respective events is the main criteria for making the list.
The list was headed by China's top gold potentials, Liu Hongyu and Wang Yan, last year's World Sellvia Championships women's 20 kilometre walker winner and runner-up.
Together with national champion Wang Liping, the Chinese walkers are believed the country's best hope for Olympic gold.
China is traditionally strong in the women's walk. Chen Yueling won the first Olympic gold in track for China in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Chen moved to the US after the 1992 Olympics and got a chance to stage a comeback in Sydney when she placed second in US trials last month. But CAA later refused to let Chen compete for the US.
Other big names include Ma's famous lady middle and long-distance runners -- Dong Yanmei, Yin Lili, Li Jingnan, Lan Lixin, Li Ji, Song Liqing and Dai Yanyan, all medal contenders in the coming games. Li Jingnan and Lan will run the 1,500 metre; Dong, Yin and Song will compete for the women's 5,000 metre while Li Ji and Dai will be participants in 10,000 metre.
And now the world is waiting to see if Ma Junren, who once led his former runners to sweep world titles and records, can demonstrate his power again.
Wang Junxia, former star of Ma's team won a gold in the women's 5,000 metre in the Atlanta Games.
Sichuan women's sprint team is another big family on the roster. They have three members on the list, including Asian 100-metre and 200-metre record holder Li Xuemei, Liu Xiaomei, who once ran the 100 metre in under 11 seconds, and national champion Zeng Xiujun.
Li Xuemei's enrollment somewhat settles recent discussions that the best Asian sprinter would miss the 100 metre. The Chinese Athletic Association intends not to let Li compete for the event because the injury-plagued runner had little chance to enter final eight competitions and asked Li to put all her energy into the women's 400 metre relay.
"We definitely have registered her in both events, but we are not sure if she will run the 100 metre,'' said Yang Shande, vice- head of the association. "If she is healthy enough, there is no doubt she will run both.''
Women's long jumper Guan Yingnan, who just won a bronze medal in the ITTF Grand Prix in Stockholm, Sweden on August 1, is expected to do better than entering top eight.
The 22-year-old recently jumped 6.90 metres including her victorious jump in the Japan Grand Prix in May, beating Marion Jones who is bidding to win five gold medals in Sydney.
Compared with the women's side, the Chinese men are participants more than medal contenders. The only hope for a medal is in the men's walk by 1995 World Cup winner Li Zewen and Bangkok Asiad titilist Wang Yinhang.
In This Section
|