Sports Bulletin Report
Hangzhou (China): There was an eruption of sound at the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre as hosts China claimed a golden double topping both the men’s and women’s Speed Relay at the 19th Asian Games.
Making it into the finals in second place behind Indonesia in qualification, the men’s team of Wang Xinshang, Wu Peng and Zhang Liang came through a quarter-final against Thailand, a semi-final against Singapore and overcame the strong Indonesian trio in the final.
With three Speed climbers comes three opportunities for false starts making tense competition in the Speed Relay, and it was the Indonesian team who succumb to the heart-breaking scenario of a false start on leg three in the gold medal match-up. It meant whilst Team China could celebrate gold, Leonardo Veddriq, Kiromal Katibin and Rahmad Adi Mulyono had to settle for silver.
The beaten semi-finalists, South Korea and Singapore fought it out for bronze with Jung Yongjun, Lee Seungbeom and Lee Yongsu making the podium for South Korea. Some early slips from Team Singapore meant South Korea just had to keep it clean to beat Bin Mohamad Kamal Amar Hassan, Denzel Jit Yi Chua and Bing Qian Tan. The final times were 17.82 to South Korea and 23.16 to Singapore.
Deng Lijuan, Niu Di and Zhang Shaoqin from China and Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi, Nurul Iqamah and Rajiah Sallsabillah from Indonesia were evenly matched throughout the competition, and even closer until the very last hold. A close race came down to a stutter at the very last jump to tap as an Indonesia slip gave the advantage to the host nation, which they happily took. The final race result was 20.92 seconds for China and 23.50 to Indonesia.
The semi-final saw Choi Nawoo, Jeong Jimin and Noh Heeju of South Korea take on Assel Marlenova, Tamara Ulzhabeyeva and Adeliya Utesheva of Kazakhstan. Neither team had particularly clean runs with a Kazakhstan slip handing the initiative to South Korea, before they returned the favour to let their opponents back in the race.
The final South Korean climber just managed to compose herself to bring home the bronze with a time of 26.90 compared to Kazakhstan’s 27.99.
The previous night saw the individual honours handed out as Indonesia’s world champion Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi took gold and an Asian record and Iran’s Reza Alipour Shenazandifard defended his men’s crown at the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Centre.
Coming up against world record holder Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia, Alipour Shenazandifard triumphed. In the final against home favourite Long Jinbao, Alipour Shenazandifard triumphed. While others around where stumbling he was mister consistent.
The final saw the slowest time for Alipour Shenazandifard with a 5.30 enough to claim gold after Long fell, and with it the emotion, and roars, poured out. Long had to settle for silver.
Leonardo had come very close to being eliminated in the first round of finals when a big slip saw him make a stunning comeback to by just 0.15 seconds. His luck ran out though in the semi-finals which set up the bronze medal match up with China’s Wu Peng whose false start put him in the small final.
In qualification Leonardo set a new Asian Games record of 4.97. He lowered that in the small final to 4.95 to take bronze and overcome just a little some of the disappointing runs he experienced during the competition.
Desak Made Rita Kusuma Dewi was the one to beat in Hangzhou after the Indonesian took the world title in Bern, Switzerland, in August. With that win Dewi also booked her place at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
Now, the Indo climber has added another title with not only a win at the Asian Games, but a new Asian record to go with it in a whirlwind few months.
Finishing top of qualification, Dewi progressed through the finals to set up a showdown with home favourite Deng Lijuan. In the final round, Dewi produced a 6.36 to take gold and the new Asian record, and she needed it as Deng herself lowered the previous record also with a 6.43. But, on this occasion, it was only quick enough for silver.
In the small final there was another Indonesia-China shoot out for the bronze medal, and once again Indonesia triumphed as Rajiah Sallsabillah took advantage of a fall from Niu Di to stand with teammate Dewi on the podium.
With the top four places going to Indonesia and the home nation China, all eyes will be on the draw for the Relay tomorrow as both nations will have eyes on gold when they add another climber to their roster and race for team glory.
