Zheng Xingjuan (China) (© IAAF.org)
The athletic competitions of the 5th East Asian Games concluded at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground, Hong Kong today (13).
The morning session saw an interesting dual between Japan’s Tomoya Onishi and Pak Song Chol (PRK) in the men’s Half Marathon. Onishi (22), this year’s World University Games runner-up edged the North Korean, the two runners clocking an identical 1:06:05.
In the women’s race, 2007 World University Games champion Kim Kum Ok won North Korea’s only gold of the Games beating Yuri Kano of Japan. The Japanese was the seventh place finisher in the Marathon at the Berlin World Championships, a race in which today’s winner finished twentieth.
Japan’s Hiroaki Doi successfully defended his title in the Hammer Throw, beating Ma Liang of China whorecently took the Asian Championships bronze medal in Guangzhou, one place ahead of Doi. Today Doi retained his Games’ crown, 71.25 to 70.74m.
In the men’s Triple Jump, 2005 silver medallist Yohei Kajikawa took the title this time.
The women’s 5000m was won with a last straight sprint by Yuriko Kobayashi, a former World youth and junior championships medallist over 1500m, while in the men's 3000m Steeplechase, it was China’s National Games victor Sun Wenli who was the victor.
Asian champions Zheng Xingjuan (High Jump) and Liu Chunhua (Javelin Throw) took their respective events.
Xingjuan, the World Junior High Jump silver medallist three years ago, who set her personal best of 1.95m while winning the National Games at Jinan this October and scaled 1.93 at Guangzhou in the Asian meet, found a 1.88m clearance enough today.
In the Javelin Throw, a sixth round throw of 60.05m, the second best release of her career best, allowed Chunhua to grab victory from compatriot Zhang Li. Li, the 2005 World Youth champion who has a personal best of 62.09m, was also second to Chunhua at the National Games when her vanquisher registered her PB of 60.65m.
China topped the medal table with 26 gold, 16 silver and 6 bronze medals, ahead of Japan (16-21-5) and Korea (2-5-3).
Ram. Murali Krishnan for the IAAF
RESULTS
Men
3000m Steeplechase: 1. Sun Wenli CHN 9:01.88, 2. Takayuki Matsuura JPN 9:03.89, 3. Wu Wen-Chien TPE 9:04.48;
Half Marathon: 1. Tomoya Onishi JPN 1:06:05, 2. Pak Song Chol PRK 1:06:05, 3. Chang Chia-Che TPE 1:06:30;
Triple Jump: 1. Yohei Kajikawa JPN 16.15/1.0, 2. Yu Jae Hyeok KOR 15.61/1.2, 3. Si Kuan Wong MAC 15.29/0.2;
Hammer Throw: 1. Hiroaki Doi JPN 71.25, 2. Ma Liang CHN 70.74, 3. Hiroshi Noguchi JPN 67.40;
4 x 100m: 1. Chinese Taipei 39.31, 2. Japan 39.40, 3. China 39.86;
4 x 400m: 1. Japan 3:07.08, 2. China 3:08.63, 3. Chinese Taipei 3:10.47;
Women
5000m: 1. Yuriko Kobayashi JPN 16:46.86, 2. Jia Chaofeng CHN 16:47.04, 3. Leong Yuen Fan HKG 19:38.83;
Half Marathon: 1. Kim Kum Ok PRK 1:11.55, 2. Yuri Kano JPN 1:12:03, 3. Yoko Miyauchi JPN 1:12:36;
High Jump: 1. Zheng Xingjuan CHN 1.88, 2. Yuki Mimura JPN 1.79, 3. Yip Hiu Laam HKG 1.60;
Javelin Throw: 1. Liu Chunhua CHN 60.05, 2. Zhang Li CHN 58.12, 3. Emika Yoshida JPN 54.27;
Heptathlon: 1. Yuki Nakata JPN 5717, 2. Lee Eun Im KOR 4608 (only two competitors);
4 x 100m: 1. China 44.69, 2. Japan 44.89, 3. Hong Kong 45.71;
4 x 400m: 1. China 3:37.72, 2. Japan 3:42.18, 3. Chinese Taipei 3:51.08;
