Zhuhai athletes perform well
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ZHUHAI-born Liang Zhongxing scored 3 goals in action against Serbia in the men’s preliminary round Group B water polo match on Saturday.
“Serbia continued their run at the medal podium with a 15-5 win on Saturday that lifted them to 3-1 in the tournament.
“Aleksandar Sapic dominated the game, scoring 9 goals on 12 shots for Serbia. Liang Zhongxing added three for China,” according to a news brief at cbc.ca.
In addition, Brazil beat China 22-29 in the men’s handball preliminary Group A match on Saturday. As a leading player, Zhuhai native Zhu Jie disrupted the offense of the opposing team and organized but failed at several offenses.
Team China hit quite a few long shots, which became very effective in the match. However, Brazil’s lead was extended greatly and allowed no time for China to overcome, Zhu explained. Coach Yan Weiming confirmed that the failure was due to lack of experience in international matches.
Another Zhuhai native Zhang Geng shot a goal against Kazakstan during the women’s handball preliminary match on Friday despite a leg injury. Still, China narrowly lost the game 26-29.
Although Liang Zhongxing scored one goal in the preliminary water-polo match against Italy on Thursday, his team lost.
“On Game 3 of the Men’s Olympic Games Tournament in Beijing, China, the home team dropped back to former normality. After two good performances in the two previous matches, Head Coach Wang Minhui’s players lost 7-19 to Italy and dropped out in the race for a medal round spot,” a review titled “Italy teaches China a lesson and stays alive” states on waterpolo-world.com.
Liang also contributed one point for when the Chinese men’s water-polo team faced the United States in its first match at the Beijing Olympics on August 10. Wang Beiming scored two and Xie Junmin another, however, China lost the game 4-8.
Tony Azevedo led the US team with five goals in his eight shots. Layne Beaubien and Jesse Smith added another three.
Feng Bingyou, vice principal of Doumen Sports School and Liang Zhongxing’s first coach, showed satisfaction with his disciple after having watched the competition video the next day.
The Chinese made their Olympic debut in men’s water-polo with an unorthodox style of play that made them surprisingly competitive with the heavily favoured Americans, as Bruce Wigo, CEO of International Swimming Hall of Fame, wrote in his review of water polo events in the Beijing Olympic Games on the Lane 9 News Archive. The Americans held only a 4-3 lead at the half over the team ranked 12th in the 12-team field, he wrote.
It had been a foregone conclusion, as the gap between the Chinese and US teams is huge. Nonetheless, the Chinese team led the first half 4-3 and kept making trouble for their rivals, Feng explained. The Chinese team normally loses by ten points or more, but it was in good playing form at the debut, he said.
Liang sent a text message to Feng right after the competition, saying he and his teammates were satisfied with the process and outcome. “I made a shot,” he said in the message.
Feng searched the TV play schedule and waited till 1am of August 11 before he could cheer for Liang’s performance.
Liang’s father took pride in his son. Yet, he hadn’t received his son’s report about the competition. “He is busy practicing and had no time to call back home. I don’t feel it would be appropriate to call him at this time,” he said.
His son did call him at the opening ceremony though. “Dad, I’m entering the Bird’s Nest and am about to pass the rostrum. I’m the third of the 39th line. Do you see me?” Liang told his father on the phone as he paraded with Team China into the National Stadium during the opening ceremony. Unfortunately, he failed to find his son as the scene moved away very fast, the father regretted.
Liang had no scores when Germany saved a narrow 6-5 against China in the Preliminary Round matches last Tuesday. Liang’s father watched him on a live CCTV-2 broadcast. “Some of my friends said they saw my son on TV, but I didn’t until today,” he said. He admitted he had paid no attention to how the match was going but just tried hard to spot his son. “I saw him around a dozen times during the match,” he smiled, hoping his son would do better in the ensuing games.
Meanwhile, Zhuhai native handball athlete Zhu Jie did not score when the Chinese men’s handball team played against Poland on August 10. Chief Coach Yan Weiming was satisfied with the players though Poland rolled to a 33-19 victory over China -- the largest victory in handball competition thus far at the Beijing Olympics.
Zhu’s first coach, Chen Qijie, said he appreciated Zhu’s organization of several effective offenses during the competition. The failure was because the China team was indeed far from the level of Poland. It would be impossible for China to win the next matches with Spain, handball champion at the European Tournament, and Croatia, champion of the previous Olympic Games, Chen explained.
Chen said he was not sure if Zhang Geng, the other disciple of his and a substitute player with the China Men’s National Handball Team, would play, because Zhang had an injury. But, Zhang would play sometime at the match with Angola, he predicted.
Li Jing, a Zhuhai native who now represents the Hong Kong Team, contributed in the preliminary table tennis match against Russia by winning the men’s singles and doubles on Wednesday.
Li beat a Russian in just ten minutes in the singles match but found it arduous to win the doubles afterwards. They gained a tight 3-2 victory eventually after psychological self-adjustment.
“There is always a new situation in the match, even for the best-prepared players, and so it is a competition for strength and intelligence as well,” Li said. He took the preliminary matches as good warm-ups for the upcoming competitions, he noted, hoping his team would top the group for the quarterfinals.
“Keep an easy mind and make a show of Zhuhai native,” Li’s mother told him by phone upon his arrival in Beijing. “It inspired me and endowed me with strength,” Li said.
Still, Li lost the men’s doubles match against Japan on Thursday. “I should take the chief responsibility of the loss for having failed to create a better chance for my teammate, Gao Lize,” he said.
Zhuhai native Zhang Geng scored four goals against Angola during the preliminary women’s handball match on Wednesday, contributing to China’s 32-24 victory. CCTV commentators said she had played a key role in the match. However, Zhang was injured in the second half and had to retire from the match.
Zhang’s first coach, Chen Qijie, said he was very content with her performance. A player featuring technique rather than strength and athletic ability, Zhang is not a match for European and American athletes who are superior in both technique and strength, Chen explained. Therefore, her obvious competitive edge functioned in the match against Angola, he added.
Zhang’s injury was not serious though. “It should not be a problem in my play against Kazakhstan tomorrow,” she smiled, showing full confidence. “We’re sure to enter the elite eight if we defeat Kazakhstan,” she added.
Zhuhai native athlete Li Qiang, 19, is practising at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Beijing for the men’s K-1 500m kayak singles, which is to be competed this week. He and his teammates are targeting a gold medal in the final heat.
(ZD News)
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