Chinese Women Sprinters to Defend Asiad Relay Titles in Busan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 13, 2002

Chinese Women Sprinters to Defend Asiad Relay Titles in Busan

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Chinese women sprinters who boast wonderful team work are confident in defending their Asiad relay titles in the upcoming Busan Asian Games, which will be held in South Korea on September 29-October 14.

Although Sri Lanka, China's arch rival in 4x100m relay race, has Asian queen runner Susanthika Jayasinghe who took the 200m silver in 22.74 seconds at the World Athletic Grand Prix in Qatar in 1999, China is still the most hopeful winner of the event in Busan, Chinese short-distance running expert Feng Zhenren told Xinhua here on Thursday.

All the Chinese runners in the team, Yan Jianqui, Zeng Xiujun,Huang Mei, Ni Xiaoli and Qin Wangping, are at the same high level and are in good form, said Feng Zhenren, who is also the head coach of the athletic team of China's Guangxi Province which contributes many ace sprinters for the Chinese national team.

"The Chinese girls, who clinched the 4x100m gold medal at the Asian Athletic Championships in Sri Lanka in August, have the total strength to repeat their glory in Busan as long as they don't make mistakes in the relay baton hand-in," Feng said.

As to the 4x400m relay race, Feng said that China also sends five top runners to guarantee the title. The four players in best form in Busan will be fielded in the race.

"Our major opponents in the 4x400m are India and Japan. But we have the confidence and strength to defend the title." he added.

However, the Chinese women sprinters have less hope in grabbing the Asiad golds for 100m, 200m, and 400m races as their Sri Lankan opponents are too competitive to be defeated, he admitted.

Jayasinghe, 26, who has been in training with the world ace sprinter Marion Jones from the United States, swept the gold medals of the 100m and 200m before the home crowd at the Asian Athletic Championships in August.

"Although it is very hard for Jayasinghe beat Jones, she is nodoubt the best sprinter in Asia," Feng said.

Jayasinghe had been banned by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in April, 1998 for failing a doping test. But the ban was lifted in August of the same year when the IAAF confirmed that she was innocent.

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