Sun's brilliance warms Asiad pool, China in command

By Peter Rutherford INCHEON South Korea (Reuters) - Sun Yang and Ye Shiwen set the seal on China's dominating pool performance at the Asian Games on Friday, while Qatar's disappointed women's basketball team slipped out of South Korea in the dead of night with the row over their hijabs rumbling on. China took their golden haul to 91 on the seventh day of competition in Incheon, and while South Korea reclaimed second spot from rivals Japan by one gold they are unlikely to get anywhere near the 90 titles targeted before the Games. The South Koreans had factored in a handful of archery golds into their projections but one title they won't be winning is the men's team recurve. Lee Seung-yun, Ku Bon-chan and Olympic champion Oh Jin-hyek had been going for South Korea's ninth straight Asian Games gold in the event but were knocked out in the semi-finals by China in a gripping shoot-off. Local media lamented the defeat, calling it the end of South Korea's dominance in the sport. While South Korea's dominion over the archery world may be coming to an end, there are no shadows being cast on Sun Yang's reign over long distance swimming. The Chinese sensation successfully defended his 1,500 metres freestyle title, coming home well ahead of his rivals, though in truth he had no competition. Sun swims with the grace of a dolphin and the killer instincts of a shark, but he showed he also has a heart of gold by presenting local hero Park Tae-hwan with a cake ahead of his 25th birthday. ROOKIE NO MORE Ye, who like Sun won two golds in Guangzhou four years ago before taking two Olympic titles in London, finished the Asian Games with three gold medals after her victory in the 200 individual medley. "Four years ago I was a rookie swimmer and it was my first international meet," she said. "It remains a good memory for me. I also think that these Asian Games will be a turning point in my swimming career." Both Chinese swimmers will go into the Rio Olympics with high hopes of gold, as will Kazakh breaststroke machine Dmitry Balandin, who added the 50m title to the 100m and 200m crowns he won earlier in the competition. The 19-year-old slashed nearly six seconds off his best time to win the 200m on Tuesday. The Moonlight Festival Garden Weightlifting Venue has witnessed world records fall throughout the seven-day competition, and China's Zhou Lulu made sure the curtain did not come down without one more new mark being set on the final day. The London Olympics champion added 2kg to the clean and jerk world record, hoisting 192kg to win gold, and said she wanted to go out at the pinnacle of her sport in two years' time. "Participating in the Olympic Games is the dream of every athlete and I'll also take part in the next Rio 2016 Olympic Games," she added. "I will challenge there again to break my world record." HIJAB ROW With only 439 gold medals on offer for the 9,500 athletes competing at the Asian Games, it is the thrill of the competition that makes the journey to South Korea worthwhile for the vast majority. The same cannot be said for the Qatari women's basketball team, however, who quit the competition after being denied permission to wear their hijabs. The players chose to forgo their Asian Games dreams rather than abide by the International Basketball Federation's (FIBA) rules banning headgear. "The players looked sad about leaving but they totally understand the rule," an assistant with Qatar's National Olympic Committee told Reuters. "Actually they were supposed to have training today. Everybody thought they would stay two or three more days, but they left early." Basketball is the only sport at the Asian Games that does not allow women to wear headgear such as the Islamic headscarf, leaving athletes puzzled about the lack of consistency and reasons behind the regulation. Female archers from Iran, Iraq and Indonesia were free to compete wearing their navy blue and black headscarves on Friday and took aim at FIBA's regulations. "I'm an archer and the hijab doesn't cause me any problems such as abrasions or things like that," Iran's Shabnam Sharlak told Reuters. An Iranian coach standing nearby added: "Really, what kind of problem does a hijab cause?" For the Asian Games and FIBA, it has become a big one. The row has tarnished the image of the Games, which are being run under the slogan of "Diversity Shines Here," while FIBA has taken flak for failing to get rid of the rule. Human Rights Watch has told Reuters it should have been up to FIBA to prove why Qatari players should not wear headscarves. "In the case of basketball, it's difficult to see how a ban on the headscarf is anything other than an unnecessary restriction on the players' rights to religious freedom and personal autonomy," said the group. The Games also learned that one of its officials had died due to a suspected heart attack early on Friday. Games organisers said he was to officiate in athletics road races such as marathons and race walks. (Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)