Canoeist Orasa pockets 2nd medal
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Canoeist Orasa pockets 2nd medal

Boxer Chuthamat falls to home fighter in final

Hangzhou: Canoeist Orasa Thiangkathok claimed her second medal of the 19th Asian Games in China on Tuesday when she won silver in the women's single 200m final.

The Thai crossed the line in 49.221sec, 1.598 behind gold medallist Lin Wenjun of China who timed 47.623sec at Fuyang Water Sports Centre.

Mariya Brovkova of Kazakstan took bronze (49.368sec).

On Monday, Orasa and Aphinya Sroichit won bronze in the women's double 500m event.

Thailand got another silver from boxer Chuthamat Raksat, who lost in the final of the women's 50kg division.

Chuthamat, who has already secured her ticket to the Olympics Games in Paris next year, was beaten by China's Wu Yu 5-0 in the gold medal contest.

Boxer Chuthamat Raksat, left, fights China's Wu Yu in the women's 50kg final.

Wu enjoyed an afternoon stroll to the first boxing gold of the Hangzhou Games, then set her sights on winning an Olympic title in Paris.

Wu barely broke sweat and her face was completely unmarked after her final against the Thai, thrilling a large crowd who created a raucous atmosphere at Hangzhou Gymnasium.

All five judges scored it 30-27 in favour of the Chinese, who won the world championship in the non-Olympic 52kg weight class in Delhi earlier this year.

"It was as comfortable as it looked," a smiling Wu told AFP. "But I am still not satisfied with my performance."

She added: "My focus now is on winning gold at Paris 2024. I was very proud today on the podium that I could live up to my country's expectations."

Mongolia's Yesugen Oyuntsetseg and Zareen Nikhat of India won the bronzes as beaten semi-finalists.

Wu's gold was the first of 13 in a boxing competition where not only medals are available, but also Olympic qualification for Paris next year.

Earlier, Thai boxer Thitisan Panmot's quest for gold continued after he secured a spot in the semi-finals of the men's 51kg division following a 5-0 victory over China's Zhang Jiamao.

Shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn returns a shot against Nguyen Hai Dang of Vietnam. 

However, compatriot Baison Maneekon exited in the last four after she lost to Lovlina Borgohain of India 5-0 in the women's 75kg event. As a beaten semi-finalist, Baison received a bronze medal.

In the women's 60kg semi-finals, Thailand's Thananya Somnuek lost to Won Ung-Yong of North Korea 5-0 to settle for a bronze.

In badminton, all Thai shuttlers made it to the last 16 round at Binjiang Gymnasium on Tuesday.

Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who had a first round bye, dug deep to defeat Nguyen Hai Dang of Vietnam in three games.

The reigning world champion rallied after losing the first game to win 17-21, 21-18, 21-15 in 98 minutes.

Compatriot Kantaphon Wangcharoen eased past Hussein Shaheed Zaki of Maldives 21-3, 21-5.

Women's singles hopes Pornpawee Chochuwong and Busanan Ongbamrungphan also progressed to the last 16.

Pornpawee defeated Maya Anu Rai of Nepal 21-10, 21-4 while Busanan beat Karupathevan A Letshanaa of Malaysia 21-13, 21-10.

Women's doubles Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai also had little trouble in their match against Mahoor Shahzad and Ghazala Siddique of Pakistan, winning the match 21-15, 21-7.

In cycling, Olga Zabelinskaya won gold for Uzbekistan in the women's individual time trial, the latest Russia-born athlete to have topped the podium in Hangzhou.

Zabelinskaya's Russia-born teammate Anna Prakaten won the rowing single skulls gold last week, two years after winning silver at the Tokyo Olympics while representing the Russian Olympic Committee.

The 43-year-old Zabelinskaya won two Olympic road cycling bronze medals at London 2012 and a silver at Rio 2016 while competing for Russia.

She served an 18-month ban for doping between her Olympic appearances.

Zabelinskaya finished the 20km course nearly a minute ahead of Japan's Eri Yonamine and Kazakhstan's Rinata Sultanova.

"Representing different teams is due to various reasons," said Zabelinskaya, who switched nationality to Uzbekistan in 2018.

Rare win for Singapore

When Shanti Pereira sprinted to Singapore's first athletics Asian Games gold in 49 years no one was prouder than her parents watching from the stands in Hangzhou.

Pereira draped herself in the Singapore flag after her 200m triumph and ran towards mum, dad and boyfriend Tan Zong Yang, a former athlete, in the crowd.

The 27-year-old Pereira quit her job as a copywriter this year to become a full-time athlete, a leap of faith that has clearly paid off.

"So proud, so proud to see that. I just got emotional," dad Clarence said after her gold. "What we hoped for her to do, she did. I'm still in a daze."

It was Singapore's first athletics gold since the Tehran Asiad in 1974, when Chee Swee Lee won the women's 400m, and only the third in history. 

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