Chinese start haul with 3 golds

One after the other, three Chinese athletes won the gold in the women’s triple jump, women’s shotput and men’s discus throw yesterday to signal the start of what could be a big Chinese dominance of the 15th Asian Athletics Association Championships at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Huang Qiuyan, also the reigning Asian Games champion, broke the ice when she won the triple jump gold in 14.39 meters, enough to shatter the meet record of 14.11 registered by another Chinese, Ren Ruiping, in Fukuoka, Japan, five years ago.

"Happy. Very good," said Huang, whose winning mark was also better than the standing Asian Games record of 14.28 she herself set in Busan last year, but was way off the Olympic record of 15.33 established by Ukraine’s Inessa Kravets in Atlanta in 1996.

Another Chinese, Zhang Hao, won the silver at 13.04. But almost three hours after the event, organizers still couldn’t provide mediamen the official results and not even the name, country or distance of the athlete who won the bronze medal.

And it’s only the opening day.

Also winning the gold for China were Li Meiju in the women’s shotput at 18.0 meters, and Wu Tao in the men’s discus throw at 61.43 meters – both way off their personal best and any other record. Like in the case of women’s triple jump, no other details were available as of presstime.

Only four of the 43 gold medals to be disputed for four days were contested yesterday with the women’s 10,000-m final lined up later in the night.

The Philippines’ Sheena Atilano (women’s 100-m hurdles), Chantal Balani and Leslie Cercado (women’s 100-m dash), Alex Gabito and Arnold Villarube (men’s 100-m dash), and Henry Dagmil, Jhomilodin Lucman and Rolando Canta (men’s triple jump) all failed to make their presence felt in Day One.

Not even the absence of President Arroyo, who was invited as guest of honor, could spoil the opening rites which featured a colorful cultural presentation and a well-applauded silent drill exhibition by police cadets.

It’s only the third time that the country is hosting the event, but it’s the first that the President of the Republic failed to grace the opening – after former Presidents Ferdinand E. Marcos (1973) and Fidel V. Ramos (1993).

President Arroyo met with union leaders of a car-manufacturing firm in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, yesterday morning, but was back in Malacañang shortly after lunch. She is scheduled to fly to Zamboanga tomorrow.

Her representative, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, also skipped the event, and was represented by Cynthia Carrion who read a speech on behalf of the President. Also joining the distinguished list of no-shows was Lito Atienza, mayor of the host city.

"They snubbed us and our foreign visitors, but it’s okay. The games will go on," said athletics chief Go Teng Kok.

But Lerma Bulauitan, the country’s reigning long-distance queen, could not hide her disappointment. "Bakit hindi sila nagpunta? Grabe. Hindi kagaya sa Sri Lanka last year. The best ’yun. Pati presidente nila dumating," she said.