Haeider Hamarasheid won war-torn Iraq’s first medal of this year’s Asian Games yesterday, picking up a rowing bronze, and said he hoped it would set an example for young people in his homeland.
Hamarasheid finished the men’s single sculls in 7:10.10, about five seconds behind gold medalist Bajrang Lal Takhar of India with Taiwan’s Wang Ming-hui second.
“I’m so happy and excited because this is the first medal for Iraq at the Asian Games,” he said. “This achievement will encourage young people in Iraq.”
“We have trained in Baghdad and the environment was quite good without much security concern. We have been working hard,” Hamarasheid added.
Adel Ali, secretary-general of the Iraq National Olympic Committee, said the medal breakthrough would encourage the rest of the team, adding that more money was now being directed toward sport in the country.
“It is the first medal of the Iraq delegation in this Asian Games and the first is the best,” he said. “Nowadays, the environment for sports development in Iraq is much better than before. Our country will invest more money to develop rowing and other sports as well.”
Iraq won two silvers and one bronze at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, including a prestigious runner-up finish in soccer.
Wang finished the 2,000m race with a time of 7:07:33
Among other Taiwanese medal winners yesterday were soft tennis players Li Chia-hung and Yang Sheng-fa, who won the gold medal in the men’s doubles event, giving the country its fifth gold medal of the quadrennial sporting event.
The Taiwanese duo beat South Koreans Bae Hwan-sang and Kim Tae-jung 5-2 in the best-of-nine set match, 1-4, 4-2, 4-2, 4-0, 2-4, 4-1, 8-6, to win gold.
Li and Yang reached the finals with a more difficult 5-3 win over the Japanese team of Koji Kobayahsi and Hidenori Shinohara earlier in the day.
The Taiwanese team fell behind three sets to one but grabbed the final four sets to advance to the gold medal match.
It was Taiwan’s second gold medal in soft tennis at the Games, following the men’s team gold medal won on Sunday.
In the taekwondo men’s under-68kg event, Iran’s Mohammad Bagheri Motamed took the gold medal by beating Jang Se-Wook of South Korea in the final. Lo Tsung-jui of Taiwan and China’s Huang Jiannan won the bronze medals.
In the taekwondo women’s under-62kg event, South Korea’s Noh Eun-Sil won gold by beating Iran’s Raheleh Asemani 14-2 in the final.
Taiwan’s Chang Chiung-fang and Thailand’s Dhunyanun Premwhaew won the bronze medals.
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