Paul Alexander (AP)
28 August 2000 – Jakarta, Indonesia - Li Xiaoxue won gold in the women's hammer throw with a toss of 59.02 meters Monday as China quickly confirmed its status as one of the favourites at the 13th Asian Athletic Championships, the last chance for some athletes to qualify for next month's Olympics.
China also won a silver and a bronze to share the early lead in the medals race with Japan, which had a silver and two bronzes.
Shakti Singh of India won gold in the men's shot put at 19.77 meters, while Yelena Parfyonova of Kazakstan took the women's triple jump in 14.08 meters, just off the meet record of 14.11.
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid opened the competition with the hope that the world will see unity in the region despite its wide political and cultural differences.
On a steamy day just after a heavy monsoon shower doused the capital, a marching band from the University of Indonesia played as dancers in black leotards waved flags in unison.
Contingents - ranging from a sole athlete from Oman to dozens from countries such as China, Japan, India and host Indonesia - took part in the traditional march around Madya Stadium's red track before lining up on the field behind their national flags.
Organisers said nearly 500 athletes were on hand from 36 countries and territories, including such rivals as North and South Korea, China and Taiwan, and India and Pakistan. Also participating were a Palestinian contingent and teams from several former Soviet republics.
"I hope that this gathering will enforce the solidarity of the Asian people as expressed by your coming here,'' Wahid said in his opening address. "I hope that in this way, we'll be able to show the whole world that in Asia we have basic solidarity, which is needed now to cover our basic differences between different systems and different peoples.''
A siren then wailed as workers released hundreds of red and white balloons and the pop song "The Final Countdown'' blared on loudspeakers.
Among the countries with athletes still hoping to qualify for the Sydney Games next month were China, Japan, Sri Lanka, India, Kuwait, North Korea and Uzbekistan.
Finals were set for Tuesday in six of the 44 events. The competition, which runs through Thursday, is being held in two daily sessions - one in the early morning, the other in the late afternoon-evening - to avoid the worst of the tropical heat.
Final results Monday from the 13th Asian Athletics Championships at Jakarta's Madya Stadium:
Men's Shot Put
1, Shakti Singh, India, 19.77 meters. 2, Bilal Saad Mubarak, Qatar, 19.23. 3, Wen Jili, China, 18.18.
Women's Triple Jump
1, Yelena Parfyonova, Kazakstan, 14.08 meters. 2, Miao Chunking,China, 14.01. 3, Maho Hanaoka, Japan, 13.67.
Women's Hammer Throw
1, Li Xiaoxue, China, 59.02 meters. 2, Yuka Murofushi, Japan, 58.64. 3, Masumi Aya, Japan, 55.97.
Women's Discus
1, Neelam Singh, 60.75 meters. 2, Qi Cao, China, 58.71. 3, Li Yanfeng, China, 57.52.
Women's 10,000 Meters
1, Sutono Supriati, Indonesia, 33 minutes, 47.24 seconds. 2, L. Aruna Devi, India, 34:31.15. 3, Hui Hong Myong, North Korea, 35:27.50.
Men's 10,000 Meters
1, Ahmed Ibrahim, Qatar, 29 minutes, 53.00 seconds. 2, Gulab Chand, India, 30:03.75. 3, Ke Gong, China, 30:05.11.
