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China's Shi
Zhiyong does a backflip as he wins gold in the men's
62 kg event in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 16,
2004. (Agencies) |
China took gold in diving, swimming, weightlifting
and shooting to command the medals
table at the Athens Olympics on Monday, well ahead of
faltering main rivals the United States and Russia.
The first gymnastics gold went to Japan, who revived memories of their
glorious gymnastics past when they upstaged favourites China and the United
States to snatch the men's team title for the first time in 28 years.
A consistent performance on all six apparatus helped Japan to sneak
ahead of early trailblazers
the United States to take the title. Defending champions China paid the
price for a stumbling start on the floor exercise and trailed in fifth
place.
After three days of competition at the Games, China headed the medals
table with 10 golds, four silvers and a bronze.
Powered by their swimmers, Australia followed with six golds, two
silvers and five bronze. Japan were third with five golds, a silver and a
bronze.
The Americans and Russians, who normally expect to top the overall
table, trailed the pack. The US team had three golds and the Russians just
one.
The Chinese won their third diving gold medal, with Lao Lishi and Li
Ting winning the women's synchronised 10-metre platform.
 Hopes of a Chinese diving sweep were dashed, however, when the
final effort of men's synchronised 3-metre diving pair, Peng Bo and Wang
Kenan, was declared a no-dive.
Luo Xuejuan took China's first pool title, winning the women's 100
metres breaststroke final in
one minute 6.64 seconds -- just outside Australian Leisel Jones's world
record.
Chen Yaqing won China's first weightlifting title of the Games, in the
women's 58kg. Shi Zhiyong matched her feat in the men's 62kg, and Zhu
Qinan won the men's 10-metre air rifle to give China their third shooting
title in as many days.
The ebullient Chen, 25, set
two Olympic records -- a total of 237kg and a snatch of 107.5kg -- in beating North
Korea's Ri Song-hui. Ri, the Sydney silver medallist, took silver again to
bring home her reclusive country's first medal in Athens.
 "We came here with the reputation of being the 'Dream Team' and
in order to live up to that reputation I had to get a gold," said Chen, a
student from Suzhou.
South Korea got their first gold of the Games when Lee Won-hee beat
Vitaliy Makarov of Russia with ippon in the men's 73kg judo final. The
veteran Lee's nickname is "Mr Ippon".
The South Koreans have set a target of 13 golds, but were disappointed
when two shooters failed to qualify and their mixed badminton pair were
knocked out in the quarter-finals.
After a strong start in their national martial art, Japan lost chances
on Monday to add to their three judo golds when both Masahiro Takamatsu
and Kie Kusakabe failed to take medals in the men's and women's
competitions.
Takamatsu fell to David Kevkhishvili of Georgia in his first match in
the men's 73kg, while Kusakabe lost to Spain's Isabel Fernandez in the
repecharge at the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall.
China have set a target of 20 golds at Athens and are looking to
consolidate a base of performance that will allow their athletes to shine
at home in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2004-08-17 10:35