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Confident gymnasts have spring in their steps

(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-11-28 13:39

Chinese national gymnastics team head coach Huang Yubin said that China aim to grab at least 12 of the 14 golds to be awarded at the coming Doha Asian Games.

"China won 12 golds at the last Asian Games. This time in Doha, we are going to grab more than that," Huang said.

Huang's confidence was boosted by China's unprecedented success at the world championships last month in Denmark, where China collected eight of the 14 gold medals.

China are sending a virtually unchanged team to the Asian Games in Qatar running from December 1-15.

According to the line-ups announced by China Gymnastics Association (CGA), the teams are almost the same as in the championships last month, except for teenager Han Bing replacing Li Ya in the women's squad.

Yang Wei, who snatched two individual laurels as well as a team title with his team-mates in Denmark, will lead the men's squad. The women's line-up features the worlds' top female gymnast Cheng Fei.

In Denmark, Cheng not only made herself a double world champion in vaulting and floor, but also helped Chinese women take their first-ever team title in a world championships.

Li Ya, one of the pre-game favourites, failed to enter the final of the uneven bars her specialty and was absent from the women's team final in the championships.

Challenge from Japan

But Huang still warned a resurging Japanese team is determined to seek revenge.

Japan won five silvers and one bronze at the Worlds.

"Japan are the biggest challengers in Asia," Huang said. "Although they did not get good results in the world championships, I believe it is a temporary situation.

"Japan have solid base in gymnastics. I am sure they have learned a lot from their failure and will increase their competitiveness at the Asian Games. The setback might be the very impetus for them to stage a big comeback.

"They have the strength, the technique and the determination to do so, especially in the men's team competition and individual all-around."

Huang also said that male competitors from Japan and Korea are also competitive in the floor exercise, parallel bars and horizontal bar.

On the women's side, Huang believed no country or region is able to challenge China's overall dominance but singled out the DPRK as a potential force in vaulting and uneven bars.