2008 Summer Olympics, News, Sports - Tuesday, August 19, 2008 5:09 - 0 Comments

Kenyans run for gold, soccer giants clash

China praised injured national hero Liu Xiang on Tuesday, smothering disappointment that he limped away from his hurdles heat by stressing its dominance of the Olympics medals table.

China hoped for a repeat of Liu’s 110 meters win in Athens to show its sporting prowess could extend to the track, where its big medal table rival the United States usually excels, and was not confined to traditional areas like table tennis.

Liu could barely start his Monday heat, grimacing in pain from injury.

After a false start in the race he pulled out, shocking China where he has been a national idol since his 2004 success which gave the country its first Games male track and field victory.

"Everyone will understand why Liu Xiang had to abandon competition due to injury," Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said in a "get well" message carried by state media.

Xi, favored to succeed Hu Jintao as president in five years, urged Liu to overcome injury and return to "win greater honor for the motherland".

The strong support for Liu seemed designed to prevent a souring of the upbeat Olympic mood China has fostered carefully.

Liu himself promised to return, saying unbearable pain in his foot and the prospect of a long-term serious injury left him no choice but to pull out of the race.

China’s rulers have invested billions in staging a spectacular Games to demonstrate to audiences at home and abroad the country’s superpower status and the Communist Party’s sponsorship of sporting success and national pride.

In recent days state media have grown in confidence China will topple the U.S. from the top rank in the medal spot it held in Athens. This demonstrates that China’s economic rise has brought it sporting glory, official media has explained.

"There is basically no worry about top spot on the gold medal table," state news agency Xinhua said on Tuesday.

China already has 39 golds, seven more than in Athens, while the U.S. has won 22 and been relatively disappointing in the Bird’s Nest stadium, the athletics venue where it would normally do well.

ATHLETICS EXCITEMENT

China will expect to pick up more golds in diving and gymnastics on Tuesday but most attention will be on the football pitch and the athletics arena, which has already seen four days of action as magnificent as its architecture.

Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva lit up the stadium on Monday with a theatrical display of dominance in the women’s pole vault.

She lay resting for much of the competition then won the gold on her second leap. With all other events finished and the stadium still packed the glamorous Russian then broke her own world record by vaulting 5.05 meters.

"All the stadium was just for me," she said.

Jamaican sprinters have finally lived up to their promise on the world’s biggest stage, with Usain Bolt winning the 100 meters in spectacular style and world record time and compatriots taking the top three places in the women’s 100 meters.

The U.S. will be hoping for a measure of revenge against another strong Jamaican team in the women’s 100 meters hurdles, after they recorded the top three semi-final times, led by world numbers one and two Lolo Jones and Damu Cherry.

Bolt is back in action in the semi-finals of the 200 meters in his quest to secure the first sprint double gold since Carl Lewis in 1984. The 21-year-old cantered through the first two rounds of the 200m competition in relaxed style.

Kenya hopes to add a win in the men’s 1500m to golds in the women’s 800 meters and the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, its seventh successive win in that event.

Kenyans Asbel Kiprop or Augustine Choge will battle it out for the top middle-distance running prize.

The soccer tournament bursts into life with a semi-final between two of the sport’s fiercest rivals, Brazil and Argentina, in a contest enlivened by the genius of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi on opposing sides.

Brazil want revenge for defeat in Athens to Argentina. Despite winning five World Cups, they have never won Olympic gold and are desperate to set that right.

Ronaldinho is one of three over-age players in a team who otherwise have to be under 23 at the start of the year.

The AC Milan player is being bombarded with autograph requests in the Olympic Village, forcing Brazilian players to surround him at times.

Nigeria play Belgium in the other semi-final.

Source:Reuters