iT IS QUITE INTERESTING THAT SOME COMPETITORS (SUN YINGJIE 2:21:01 & ZHOU CHUNXIU 2:21:11 ON OCTOBER 16 - SEE DETAILS BELOW) COULD BACKUP THE FOLLOWING DAY AND RUN 10,000M IN EXTREMELY FAST TIMES (SUN in 31:03.90 & ZHOU in 31:09:03).
CHINA’S surprise Athens Olympic champion XING HUINA finished first in 31:00:70.
The times were the third, fourth and fifth best times in the event so far this year.
(DETAILS: BEIJING 16 OCT 2005: 10,000m: women - 1, Sun Yingjie 2:21:01; 2, Zhou Chunxiu 2:21:11; 3, Sun Weiwei 2:27:35; 4, Zhang Shujing 2:27:41; 5, Dai Yanyan 2:31:51; 6, Zhu Xiaolin 2:32:27; 7, Jin Man 2:32:35; 8, Asami Obi 2:32:36.)
NANJING, China, Oct 19 - Chinese Olympic champion Xing Huina was Wednesday stripped of her gold in the women’s 1,500m final in the China National Games for fouling second-placed Liu Qing.
China’s only other Olympic track gold medallist Liu Xiang qualified easily for the men’s 110m hurdles final.
Xing had elbowed Liu in the final meters and sprinted to take first spot, the National Games Arbitration Panel announced late Wednesday.
She was stripped of her medal and Liu was announced as the winner.
Xing had clocked four minutes and 3.97 seconds. Liu finished in 4:04.00 followed by Huang Jing in 4:10.13.
Even Xing’s time was way off the world record of 3:50.46 set by compatriot Qu Yunxia at the 1993 China National Games, and nearly seven seconds off the world best in the event so far this year.
Xing had earlier matched her 10,000m Athens gold with victory in the same event here.
On Monday, she beat Sun Yingjie and Zhou Chunxiu also by outsprinting them down the home stretch. Sun and Zhou had placed first and second respectively in the marathon a day earlier.
On Thursday, China’s three strongest middle and long distance women runners will meet up again in the preliminary rounds of the 5,000m. The final is scheduled for Saturday.
Tomorrow I'll run in the 5,000m preliminary, so it is too early to think about another gold medal,'' Xing had said before being stripped of her gold. I just want to race one race at a time and then we will see what happens afterward.’’
Xing and men’s hurdler Liu are the only two Chinese to win Olympic track gold, with both victories coming at the Athens Games last year.
Liu, whose 12.91 seconds in the Athens final matched Colin Jackson’s world record, thrilled an enthusiastic crowd by winning his heat in 13.76 seconds.
Four years ago at the Ninth China National Games I was more tense than any other games that I've participated in because that was the first time I attended such a big comprehensive game,'' Liu said. So for me here at the 10th National Games the most important thing is to remain cool and win the gold medal, for me the time does not matter.’’