CHINA SPIKE UNITED KOREAN HEARTS IN FINAL
JAKARTA: China dashed Unified Korea’s hopes of an emotional women’s basketball gold medal when they won a tense final 71-65 at the Asian Games on Saturday. Lim Yung-hui top-scored with 24 points in a losing cause as China pulled away from 38-38 at half-time before holding off the Koreans in the final quarter.
Indonesia unveil bidding plans for 2032 Olympics
JAKARTA: Indonesia unveiled surprise plans to bid for the 2032 Olympics on Saturday as it rides high from its successful staging of the Asian Games. President Joko Widodo revealed Indonesia’s intentions after talks with Olympics chief Thomas Bach and Sheikh Ahmad Al-fahad Al-sabah, head of the Olympic Council of Asia. The announcement came on the penultimate day of the two-week, 40-sport Asian Games, the biggest sporting event in Indonesia’s history.
Shoe company to design Swapna’s special footwear
NEW DELHI: Swapna Barman, who has six toes on each foot, is to receive special custom-made shoes after a company boss was touched to hear of the pain she suffered while running in the heptathlon. A government-run enterprise in Chennai has come forward to help Barman get customised shoes. “After she won the gold I saw on TV that she had a deformity in her feet,” said Sudhanshu Mani, general manager of Integral Coach Factory, a railway coach manufacturer that also funds training for athletes. “We are in touch with Nike. We are waiting for her to come back so that we can get the customised shoes made for her,” he said.
North Korea boxing coaches kicked out
JAKARTA: Two North Korean coaches were kicked out of the Asian Games on Saturday after mounting a protest in the ring after one of their boxers lost the women’s flyweight final.
Coach Pak Chol Jun refused to leave the ring and incited boxer Pang Chol Mi to remain behind in protest against the judging after Chang Yuan won gold on a 3-2 split decision. Another coach, Pak Il Nam, tried to whip up the crowd to jeer the decision.
Son scoops Asian gold to avoid military service
JAKARTA : Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min was left beaming from ear to ear after winning an exemption from almost two years of military service by leading South Korea to Asian Games gold on Saturday. The defending champions beat Japan 2-1 after extra time in steamy Cibinong, West Java as Lee Seung-woo and Hwang Hee-chan scored the goals that will allow 26-year-old Son to see out his new five-year deal with Spurs. A late header from Ayase Ueda gave South Korea a fright, but they survived that.