| |
| |
![]() |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
SINGAPORE : After a turbulent 18 months or so when her athletic career almost came to an end, Zhang Guirong has started on the road back when she ended her third SEA Games in Korat, Thailand, with a gold medal in the shot put.
The 29-year-old not only defended her gold medal, she met the Olympic 'B' qualifying mark with her sixth and final throw of 17.21m at His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium on Tuesday.
Thais Krasaeyan Juthaporn and Warapiang Siwaporn took silver (16.06m) and bronze (13.47m) respectively, while Singapore's 20-year-old Wan Laychi finished fourth with a best throw of 13.26m.
Zhang's jubilation was clear to see, as she set off on a lap of honour flying the Singapore flag high over her head.
"I'm really over the moon," she said. "I really gave everything I had in the final throw. Before today, I told myself to just go out there and do my very best. I'm really satisfied with my performance.
"This is my third SEA Games and as the oldest member of the team, I felt I had to set a good example and be a role model for my younger team-mates.
"There are a lot of reasons behind my success and I'm really delighted to have qualified for next year's Olympics in China."
Zhang's victory has come at the end of a period when she has been dogged by controversy.
In May 2006, Zhang and fellow thrower Du Xianhui quit the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) after disagreements over pay and training programmes.
The duo were then dropped from the 2006 Asian Games last December after both failed to provide proper addresses of their training camps in China, a strict requirement under IAAF rules. Du and Zhang returned to Singapore earlier this year to renegotiate their contracts with the SAA.
Today, Du is back in China, her career in limbo. But for Zhang, who only joined up with Team Singapore last month, the triumph in Korat is evidence that all the baggage is beginning to be left behind.
"Honestly, I do feel everything is over and sorted out," she said.
"I actually longed to put everything behind me. Coming into the SEA Games, I made sure I didn't think about any of the things that went on before.
"Once I got here, I told myself not to dwell over things that happened in the past. Nothing is that important to distract me from doing well.
"There is a lot of pride in winning honour for the country. We still have a long way to go and I continue to need the SAA's support to help me win more medals. I haven't thought about where I want to train next year, be it in China or in Singapore. The important thing now is to continue receiving the financial support. We must work hard together."
Zhang's national record of 18.57m set in Korea in September 2005 is now the next target and SAA president Loh Lin Kok said there's much work to be done ahead of the Olympics.
He said: "Congratulations to her but there's still a long way to go. I'm not surprised she won because 17 metres is chicken feed. Qualifying is one thing. Winning an Olympic medal is another." - TODAY
|
