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SINGAPORE: It turns out Zhang Guirong, Singapore's No 1 in the women's shot put, need not worry about her place in the team bound for the Olympic Games after all.
After days of uncertainty, the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) confirmed on Tuesday that the China-born athlete had earned the nod for the 2008 Beijing Games, which will run from August 8-24.
In a phone interview with TODAY, SAA president Loh Lin Kok said: "There is no question that Zhang Guirong is our entry for the Olympics ... our honorary secretary, S. Govindaraju, confirmed this with SNOC (Singapore National Olympic Council) last night (monday)."
Last Friday, at the announcement of the Singapore contingent bound for Beijing, SNOC secretary general Chris Chan said the SAA would only confirm Zhang if she came close to her Olympic 'B' qualifying mark of 17.21m in the three legs of the Asian Grand Prix.
Zhang, 30, recorded throws of 16.80m in Bangkok last Monday, 16.77m in Korat, Thailand three days later, and 16.45m in Hanoi two days ago.
On Monday night, SAA assistant technical director, C. Veeramani, told TODAY that while she had failed to meet the target, he would recommend her to the selection committee for the Olympics based on her consistency and how close she had come to the target.
But Loh clarified that there had been a misunderstanding within the technical department of the SAA.
"The management committee had already decided in the meeting on April 24 that Zhang Guirong and Calvin Kang (men's 100m) are the entries for the Olympics, with Poh Seng Song (men's 100m) and Amanda Choo (women's 100m) as standbys in case of injuries or serious unforeseen circumstances," said the veteran sports chief.
"The three Asian Grand Prix meets were used to gauge her fitness and form ... no conditions were laid down. There could have been a misunderstanding in the training department as in their enthusiasm to make sure that athletes are fit for a meet, they set their own benchmark (for the athlete), and perhaps the wrong message was passed."
Zhang is the national record-holder in the shot put with a distance of 18.57m, set in 2005.
She was involved in a lengthy tussle with the SAA over training and pay arrangements in mid-2006 and missed the Asian Games in Doha later that year. She is currently based in Shenyang, China, where she trains with her coach, Li Da.
This will be her second successive Olympics for Singapore, after Athens 2004, where she was eliminated in the first round.
Said Loh: "We are not going to deny her the privilege (of representing the country in the Olympics) when firstly, she has been training in China. Secondly, she's keeping us informed of her training programme and lastly, she's participated in the Asian Grand Prix.
"Judging from the Asian Grand Prix, she's still throwing about 16 metres and this shows her fitness is not in contention." - TODAY
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