Triple-record burst for Kim Un-Guk

N Korea lifter thanks country’s leader Kim Jong-Un for support.

INCHEON: North Korea’s Kim Un-Guk thanked his supreme leader Kim Jong-Un as he broke three world records on his way to gold in the 62 kg class weightlifting at the Asian Games Sunday.

Kim shattered a 12-year-old record by lifting 154kg in the snatch, and followed it with a clean and jerk of 174kg to set a new combined record of 328kg.



Then with his final attempt he successfully lifted 178kg to raise the combined mark to 332kg, 5kg above the record he set in winning Olympic gold in 2012.

“Everybody aspires to a world record,” said Kim.

“But it is all thanks to love and care by General Kim Jong-Un [North Korea’s leader]. Only athletes like me can bear the national flag in their bosom.”

Lin and Lee ease through team matches

Badminton giants Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei eased through their first Asian Games matches helping set up a China v Malaysia men’s team showdown.

China dispatched Hong Kong 3-0 in their quarter-final and Malaysia also beat Nepal with the same scoreline, meaning the two great powers will meet in the men’s team semi-finals on Monday.

But Lin and Lee will not face each other in the team contest, where players are matched according to their world ranking.

In his last Asian Games, Malaysian world number one Lee will take on top-ranked Chinese player Chen Long, who denied him in last month’s world championships final.

Chinese idol Lin, 30, is ranked 15th as he picks and chooses competitions these days, so will face a lower order Malaysian player.

As fans hope for a Lin-Lee classic in the individual competition, all eyes will be on the singles draw.

Lin has repeatedly denied 31-year-old Lee gold in major tournaments, including the Asian Games, the Olympics and world championships.

But Lee remained philosophical about the pressure on him to dispel his reputation for falling at the final hurdle.

“It doesn’t upset me [that people say I don’t win major tournaments],” said Lee. “It’s different in other countries because in China there are a lot of players. In Malaysia I’m alone, so it’s very tough for me.”

I can be next Phelps, says Japan’s Hagino

Japan’s Kosuke Hagino took a step toward emulating his hero Michael Phelps with a double knockout of heavyweights Sun Yang and Park Tae-Hwan in the Asian Games 200 metres freestyle.

The 20-year-old, who beat American great Phelps in the 200m medley at last month’s Pan Pacific championships, said his surprise freestyle gold could elevate him to the next level.

“I didn’t think I could win tonight,” said Hagino. “Sun and Park are on a different level and it’s an incredible feeling to beat them. It will give me so much more confidence when I race them again in international competitions.

“I knew that they would go out hard and go after each other. I tried to hang on and stay with them. I didn’t even realise I had won it was so close but to win is huge.”

Hagino has already drawn comparisons with Phelps for his versatility and insisted that Sunday’s remarkable triumph could provide the impetus for him to go on and win major titles on a consistent basis.

“Michael Phelps is my role model and I’m trying to become like him,” said Hagino. “I want to catch up with Phelps someday. But I have to put up the results.”

Meanwhile, an under-strength Japan upset favourites China to claim the Asian Games men’s team gymnastics gold, with Beijing’s golden boy Zou Kai outdone in the floor routine by an unfancied outsider.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2014.

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