PARALYMPICS / News

Host continues bull run
By Lei Lei
China Daily/The Paralympian Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-09-16 10:46

 

Chinese athletes swept a third of the 18 gold medals on offer Monday at the Bird's Nest.

So Wa-wai won Hong Kong its first athletics gold at the Beijing Paralympics while China's female throwers took all three spots on the women's discuss F42/46 podium. Wang Jun won gold with a throw of 36.99m, followed by silver and bronze medalists, Yang Yue and Zheng Baozhu.

"It is my first gold medal, and the top three are all Chinese. I'm very excited about this," said Wang. "I did my best in the last throw. I've never thrown that far before."

Host jumper Li Duan claimed his second gold at the Games by winning the men's long jump F11, beating American Lex Gillette and Greek Athanasios Barakas, who placed second and the third.

Chinese athletes also fared well on the track. Huang Lisha took her second gold in women's 200m T53 and Zhou Hongzhuan crowned in the same class for the women's 800m.

"I'm very excited because this is the second gold for me at the Beijing Games," said Huang, who grabbed gold in the women's 100m for the same class last Friday. "I have training for many years, and I think I deserve the victory."

Their male counterparts performed equally well. Zhang Zhen clinched gold in 1,500m T11 and Li Huzhao won the 800m T53.

"I'm very satisfied with my performance today," said Li, who won another gold and silver earlier in the Games. "It is wonderful, and I think I'm great."

The host athletes weren't the only ones with repeat victories.

American Jeremy Campbell won his second gold at the Games in the men's discus throw F44, with Dane Jackie Christiansen and Briton Daniel Greaves finishing second and third.

"I knew in the warm-up that I had some really good throws, and I felt really good," said Campbell, who won the men's pentathlon P44 last Thursday. "I knew I had it in the bag, but to pull it out and win the gold medal on the last throw is great."

Comments of the article(total ) Print This Article E-mail   Message Board