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'Super Dan' soars to Guangzhou title

: 0 Comments Print E-mail shanghaidaily, November 22, 2010

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Lin Dan can finally add a long-coveted Asian Games gold to his impressive medals collection.

The three-time world champion from China beat No. 1-ranked Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in characteristic flamboyant style, winning 21-13, 15-21, 21-10.

Olympic gold medalist Lin and Lee tried to outwit each other by mixing fierce smashes with feathery flicks that floated the shuttle just over the net.

Lin thrilled a packed house at Guangzhou's Tianhe Gymnasium, particularly when he clinched the win with a hard smash to the open court, took off his shirt, threw it into the crowd and then saluted two sides of the stadium.

The bronze went to China's Chen Jin and Park Sung-hwan of South Korea.

South Korea's Shin Baek-cheol and Lee Hyo-jung won the mixed doubles gold by beating Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei 21-19, 21-14.

China edged closer to its 166 gold total from the Doha games in 2006, moving to 146. South Korea was a distant second with 55 golds, while Japan had 30.

In tennis, Kimiko Date Krumm's 40-year-old legs finally gave out on her.

Date Krumm, the Japanese veteran who returned to the WTA Tour in 2008 after a 12-year break, lost 6-7 (6), 6-3, 2-6 in the semifinals to China's Peng Shuai.

It ended the No. 1-seeded Date Krumm's attempt to win Asiad gold medals 16 years apart, her first having come in front of her home fans in 1994 at Hiroshima.

"The season is almost over and my body is tired," she said. "I came here mainly with the purpose of encouraging young Japanese players to improve their level."

Peng will play Akgul Amanmuradova in the final. The Uzbek rallied to beat Indian star Sania Mirza 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours, 49 minutes in the later semifinal.

India, however, won three gold medals yesterday to increase its games total to five.

Tight finish

Sudha Singh held off China's Jin Yuan in a tight finish to win the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase on the first day of athletics, and Preeja Sreedharan took the women's 10,000 in 31:50.47.

Sreedharan's compatriot Kavita Raut clinched the silver ahead of Bahrain's Shitaya Habtegebrel.

India's Ronjan Sodhi won the double trap with 186 hits. Shaikh Juma al-Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates took silver with 182 in one of four shooting finals.

World champion Nicol David and Mohammad Azlan Iskander won gold medals for Malaysia in squash.

David recorded an 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 victory over Au Wing Chi of China's Hong Kong for her third Asian Games gold.

Last month in New Delhi, David won her first Commonwealth Games title in her fourth attempt.

World No. 15 Iskander, who was beaten in the Doha final four years ago, defeated Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan, the nephew of former world champion Jansher Khan, 11-6, 11-7, 11-6.

Earlier, Wang Hao of China overcame the steamy conditions on the roads around Aoti Main Stadium to win the 20-kilometer walk. The 21-year-old World Cup champion finished more than a minute ahead of teammate Chu Yafei in 1 hour, 20 minutes, 50 seconds, while Kim Hyun-sub of South Korea was third.

Tajikistan won its first gold with defending hammer champion Dilshod Nazarov once again with a throw of 76.44 meters.

In women's shotput, Li Ling took gold for China's ninth straight win in the event.