DOHA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- China
grabbed both the men's and women's badminton team titles at the 15th Asian Games
here on Tuesday.
In the men's team final, China defeated defending
champion South Korea 3-2 in a tough battle to reclaim the gold 16 years later.
Before the Chinese male shuttlers' triumph, their female teammates smashed
Japanese peers 3-0 to defend Asian Games champion title.
Athens Olympic champion Zhang Ning clinched the opening win for China,
beating Japanese top singles shuttler Kaori Mori, 21-13 and21-15.
Afterwards, Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen, doubles winners at Athens Olympic
Games, knocked off Kumiko Ogura and Reiko Shiota 21-8, 21-15.
Yang and Zhang won the first game with little effort but faced a tough
counterattack from Ogura and Shiota in the second game.
"They can always strike back the shot," said Yang, "It's really hard to smash
the shuttle on the half court of theirs."
It was the first time that the world number two pair fought in the first
doubles game at Doha. In the previous three games, world number one Gao Ling and
Huang Sui were the first pair to fight for China.
"I don't exactly know why we are sent on the court as the first doubles in
today's final," said Yang. "But I'm sure either Gao and Huang or Zhang and me
can win over our opponents."
Two-time world champion Xie Xingfang sealed the victory for China with an
effortless win over Eriko Hirose 21-12, 21-15.
"I'm happy for winning my first Asian Games gold medal here," said
25-year-old Xie.
It is China's eighth badminton women's team gold at Asiad.
(Source: Chinaview.cn)
