IMAGE FROM THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 15TH ASIAN GAMES IN DOHA
Competition kicks off on Dec 8th. 
DOHA (AFP) - Another world record was demolished by a Chinese lifter as swimmers from the sporting giant worked to claw back pride in the Asian Games pool after stinging criticism from coach Zhang Yadong,
Mu Shuangshuang smashed the world snatch mark on the way to winning gold in the +75kg category of the women’s weightlifting, bringing to five the number of world records to fall in Doha.
The 22-year-old double world silver medallist lifted 139kg to beat by 1kg the previous record set by South Korean Jang Mi Ran in May.
Jang had failed in her attempt to break her own record just minutes before Mu’s successful effort, and she had a chance to win the event but bombed out at what would have been a record-equalling 182kg in the clean and jerk.
The 23-year-old double world champion had to make do with silver with Thailand’s Annipa Moontar taking bronze.
Thailand’s Pawina Thongsuk set a world mark in the clean and jerk of the women’s 63kg category earlier in the week while China’s Chen Yanqing produced three world records to win gold in the women’s 58kg category.
More records could fall later Wednesday when Iran’s double Olympic weightlifting champion Hossein Rezazadeh, one of the strongest men on earth, enters the fray.
Nine Iranian lifters were banned for two years for testing positive just months before the Games but Rezazadeh, known as the Iranian Hercules, was not among them and he will compete in the heavyweight 105+ category here.
Rezazadeh, who has won an incredible 10 gold medals at the world championships and holds the world records for the snatch (213kg) and total (472kg) as well as the clean and jerk, is the defending Asian Games champion.
Midway through day five, China had 67 gold medals to Japan’s 18 and South Korea’s 14.
Kazakhstan, thanks to its shooters and weightlifters, has 10.
While the Chinese have been thumping allcomers across the board, its swimmers have not lived up to the high standards demanded by coach Zhang, who, like all competitors, has his eye on the Olympics in Beijing.
Zhang set his team the target of winning four out of seven gold medals on Tuesday but they had to settle for three, which didn’t go down well.
“The morale of the team will be affected by that defeat,” stormed Zhang. “It should not have happened.”
Defending champion Qi Hui says she will deliver gold in the 200m breaststroke later Wednesday to add to her 400m individual medley gold medal.
She was fastest in qualifying but faces a strong challenge from Asami Kitagawa of Japan who won the 100m gold on Tuesday.
“In the 100m breaststroke there were many young swimmers so I did not enter the event,” said Qi. “But in the 200m I have no problem to get gold.”
Two Chinese are favourites for another gold in the women’s 100m freestyle. Pang Jia-Ying and defending champion Xu Yanwei should be battling for honours.
Reiko Nakamura of Japan is the favourite in the 100m backstroke.
Meanwhile, South Korean teenager Park Tae-Hwan could win a third individual title in the 100m men’s freestyle.
After giving up golds to North Korea, South Korea and Japan in the gymnastics routines on Tuesday, China’s world champion team will be hungry to reassert their dominance on Wednesday.
The men’s vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars will be decided, while the women will vie for the beam and floor exercise titles.
On the rowing course, five gold Wednesday were divided between China, Uzbekistan and Japan, while on the shooting ranges China took four titles and Kazakhstan one.
Elsewhere, China, led by world No.4 Ding Junhai, will cue off for the snooker team title against Hong Kong.
The Asian Games medal table at 1130 GMT on Day 5. (gold, silver, bronze, total):
China 67 31 14 112
Japan 18 22 27 67
South Korea 14 21 35 70
Kazakhstan 10 8 16 34
North Korea 3 6 9 18
Thailand 2 6 6 14
India 2 5 4 11
Mongolia 2 3 2 7
Uzbekistan 2 0 4 6
Kuwait 2 0 1 3
Singapore 1 2 3 6
Malaysia 1 2 2 5
Hong Kong 1 1 3 5
Indonesia 1 1 2 4
Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1
Syria 1 0 0 1
Iran 0 5 1 6
Vietnam 0 3 3 6
Qatar 0 2 4 6
Myanmar 0 2 2 4
Taiwan 0 1 6 7
UAE 0 1 1 2
Turkmenistan 0 1 0 1
Kyrgyzstan 0 1 0 1
Iraq 0 0 1 1
Tajikistan 0 0 1 1
Lebanon 0 0 1 1
I can see minister Chen not to happy with Taiwans performance at this stage of the event. nanny
Equestrian athlete Kim Hyung Chil of Korea has died after falling from his horse during the individual cross country competition this morning, Thursday 7 December.
Father-of-two Kim, 47, from Seoul, was crushed under his mount Bundaberg Black while attempting the eighth fence at Sports City Temporary Venue in Doha.
The horse is under observation and there are no visible injuries. Kim was the oldest among the Korea equestrian team and won silver in the team competition at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC) announced the news at an official press conference attended by Chung Hyun Sook, Chef de Mission of Korea.
“On behalf of the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee, I send my deepest sympathies on the sad loss of Kim Hyung Chil,” said Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifi, DAGOC’s Deputy Director General of Corporate Support.
“The competition has lost a noble and an able rider. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of the deceased, the whole South Korean team participating in Doha 2006 and the people of the nation. May God grant him eternal rest and the family great strength in their hour of distress,” Mr Al Khulaifi added.
The competition resumed after two-and-a-half hours, following approval by the technical delegate, who inspected the course and the fence following the tragic accident. The technical delegate had cleared the competition in the morning, following which the event commenced.
Dr Abdulwahab Almusleh, Head of DAGOC’s Medical Committee, said the rider was crushed by his horse Bundaberg Black after falling while clearing the 1.5m-high fence.
“The medics who rushed to the spot immediately resuscitated him [but] found the rider to be pulse-less. The resuscitation continued en route to the hospital before he was pronounced dead at 10:15am.
“Our deepest sympathies go toward the family, friends and the South Korean team participating in Doha 2006.”
Hussain Al Musallam, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), also expressed deep regrets for the tragic loss of the rider.
“I am shocked at the death of this well-known athlete. The OCA and the family of NOCs [National Olympic Committees] extend our sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased sportsman.”
Christopher Hodson, Vice-President of the International Equestrian Federation who also addressed the media during the press conference said a mandatory investigation had begun into the incident. “We are deeply distressed at this incident and send our condolences to the family and the nation,” he said.
A one minute silence was observed across all venues and DAGOC has suspended cultural activities in the Athletes’ Village.
Saudi Arabia appear poised to take at least one medal in the men’s long jump. The country had the best qualifier in both preliminary groups on Friday 8 December ahead of the final on Saturday.
Ahmed Faez Bin Marzouq was the most impressive in qualification. He topped pool 2 with 7.94m on his first and only jump. The 27 year-old who was the winner of the Asian Championships last year looked a class above the field. Saudi teammate Hussain Taher Al Saba also looked in decent form as he qualified for the final as the top performer in group one.
Qualifying alongside Bin Marzouq in the second group, which was of a slightly higher standard, were five other athletes. Filipino Henry Dagmil jumped a season’s best of 7.78m to be placed second in group 2. China’s Zhang Xiaoyi went through with 7.77m.
Also going on to the final from pool 2 was Chao Chih Chien of Chinese Taipei, Kazak Konstantin Safronov and Kuwait’s Husein Al Youha.
Hussain Taher Al Saba qualified top of group 1 with his first jump of 7.67m. Joebert Delicano jumped a personal best to come second in the group just 1cm short of Al Saba on 7.66m. Kuwait’s Saleh Al Hadad, Kenji Fujikawa of Japan, India’s Shiv Shankar Yadav and Ibrahim Babikir Mohamdein from Qatar also go through to the final.
mens 100m heats start later today
Guzel impresses in 100m heats
Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva heads the qualifiers for the women’s 100m final after logging the fastest time in Friday’s heats. The 30 year-old clocked a season’s best 11.38 to win heat 1. Vietnam’s Thi Huong Vu took heat 2 in 11.51, with Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe Mannalage winning heat 3 in 11.50.
Perhaps Khubbieva’s most likely challenger will be Bahrain’s Ruqaya Al Ghasara. The gold medallist at last year’s West Asian Games in Doha, she was only two-hundredths adrift of the Uzbek in their heat. The women’s 100m final will take place on Saturday 9 December at 18:15 at Khalifa Stadium.
Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva heads the qualifiers for the women’s 100m final after logging the fastest time in Friday’s heats. The 30 year-old clocked a season’s best 11.38 to win heat 1. Vietnam’s Thi Huong Vu took heat 2 in 11.51, with Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe Mannalage winning heat 3 in 11.50.
Perhaps Khubbieva’s most likely challenger will be Bahrain’s Ruqaya Al Ghasara. The gold medallist at last year’s West Asian Games in Doha, she was only two-hundredths adrift of the Uzbek in their heat. The women’s 100m final will take place on Saturday 9 December at 18:15 at Khalifa Stadium.
Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva heads the qualifiers for the women’s 100m final after logging the fastest time in Friday’s heats. The 30 year-old clocked a season’s best 11.38 to win heat 1. Vietnam’s Thi Huong Vu took heat 2 in 11.51, with Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe Mannalage winning heat 3 in 11.50.
Perhaps Khubbieva’s most likely challenger will be Bahrain’s Ruqaya Al Ghasara. The gold medallist at last year’s West Asian Games in Doha, she was only two-hundredths adrift of the Uzbek in their heat. The women’s 100m final will take place on Saturday 9 December at 18:15 at Khalifa Stadium.
Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva heads the qualifiers for the women’s 100m final after logging the fastest time in Friday’s heats. The 30 year-old clocked a season’s best 11.38 to win heat 1. Vietnam’s Thi Huong Vu took heat 2 in 11.51, with Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe Mannalage winning heat 3 in 11.50.
Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva heads the qualifiers for the women’s 100m final after logging the fastest time in Friday’s heats. The 30 year-old clocked a season’s best 11.38 to win heat 1. Vietnam’s Thi Huong Vu took heat 2 in 11.51, with Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe Mannalage winning heat 3 in 11.50.
Saudi Arabian speeds through
Former world youth champion Yahya Al Ghames was a comfortable qualifier from the men’s 100m heats on Friday evening. The 20 year-old Saudi Arabian sprinter won heat 1 in 10.42 seconds; the same time was given to second placed Wachara Sondee of Thailand.
Al Ghames and Sondee are the fastest qualifiers for Saturday morning’s semifinals, after wet conditions at Khlaifa Stadium dampened any prospects of quick times.
Qatar’s Alwaleed Abdulla A Abdulla gave home supporters something to shout about in winning heat 2 in 10.46, a race that saw the fastest man on paper, China’s Hu Kai slow up to qualify third in 10.64. Heat 3 was won by Saudi Arabia’s Yahya Hassan Habeeb in 10.49 and heat 4 was won by Japan’s Shigeyuki Kojima in an identical time.
Afterwards, Al Ghames, said, “My preparation has been good, but this is only the beginning of the competition. It’s a big competition, with good competitors and in the 100m I just need good concentration to win the gold medal."
China’s Hu said, “In this heat my goal was to keep up the rhythm and go to the final. It’s very important to me to prevent injury. It is cold so I feel a little tense, but the rain did not influence me that much. As an athlete I should adapt to any kind of weather.”
Kojima said, “My condition is very good. I had a good preparation for this event and this is a good track. I will do my best to get the bronze or silver medal in the final.”
The men’s 100m final will take place on Saturday 9 December at 18:30 at Khalifa Stadium.
ABDULLA Alwaleed Abdulla A QAT +0.8 10.37 Q PB
TSUKAHARA Naoki JPN +0.8 10.42 Q
HABEEB Yahya Hassan KSA +0.8 10.45 Q
MURAVYEV Vyacheslav KAZ +0.8 10.46 q SB
SONDEE Wachara THA +0.4 10.46 Q
KOJIMA Shigeyuki JPN +0.4 10.46 Q
SUWANNARANGSRI Sompote THA +0.8 10.52 q
WEN Yongyi CHN +0.4 10.53 Q
non qualifiers
AL GHAHES Yahya KSA +0.4 10.55
LIU Yuan Kai TPE +0.8 10.57 :mad: 
:eek: should have been in with a hunt for a medal but has been ruined by stupidity
LIM Hee-Nam KOR +0.4 10.63
AL OBAIDLI Khalid QAT +0.4 10.68
AL HANAHNEH Khalil JOR +0.8 10.71
HU Kai CHN +0.8 10.75
CHIANG Wai Hung HKG 2 1 7 +0.4 10.88
AL RASHEDI Mohamed Ahmed BRN 2 6 8 +0.4 11.44
Asia’s fastest on two legs
On the ninth day of the games there was action in 24 sports with 33 gold medals available in 10, and with so many different disciplines deciding their champions, many different countries and regions found something to cheer somewhere on Saturday 9 December.
The fastest men and women in Asia were decided as the 100m titles were settled on the athletics track.
Saudi Arabia’s Yahya Hassan Habeeb won the men’s blue riband event in 10.32 secs. The women’s race saw gold for Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva – her country’s first athletics gold at Doha 2006.
From the shortest distance to the longest. China’s Zhou Chunxiu won the women’s marathon which finished on Doha’s Corniche, while Bahrain’s Hasan Mahboob pipped Qatar’s Essa Ismail Rashed to gold in the men’s 10,000m. Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal took the women’s 800m.
Off the track and in the field, the men’s high jump saw Lebabon’s first gold of the Games and the long jump was West Asian dominated with Hussain Taher Al Saba of Saudi Arabia leaping to gold, Kuwait getting silver and Saudi Arabia also winning bronze. The heptathlon was won by Olga Rypakova. Two more female golden girls came in the shape of Li Ling in the shot put and Bouban Pamang who surprised even the people of Thailand with her 60m-plus throw in the javelin.
Asia’s fastest on two legs
On the ninth day of the games there was action in 24 sports with 33 gold medals available in 10, and with so many different disciplines deciding their champions, many different countries and regions found something to cheer somewhere on Saturday 9 December.
The fastest men and women in Asia were decided as the 100m titles were settled on the athletics track.
Saudi Arabia’s Yahya Hassan Habeeb won the men’s blue riband event in 10.32 secs. The women’s race saw gold for Uzbekistan’s Guzel Khubbieva – her country’s first athletics gold at Doha 2006.
From the shortest distance to the longest. China’s Zhou Chunxiu won the women’s marathon which finished on Doha’s Corniche, while Bahrain’s Hasan Mahboob pipped Qatar’s Essa Ismail Rashed to gold in the men’s 10,000m. Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal took the women’s 800m.
Off the track and in the field, the men’s high jump saw Lebabon’s first gold of the Games and the long jump was West Asian dominated with Hussain Taher Al Saba of Saudi Arabia leaping to gold, Kuwait getting silver and Saudi Arabia also winning bronze. The heptathlon was won by Olga Rypakova. Two more female golden girls came in the shape of Li Ling in the shot put and Bouban Pamang who surprised even the people of Thailand with her 60m-plus throw in the javelin.