Singapore bag first Asian Games gold

Joseph Schooling won Singapore’s first men’s swimming gold medal at the Asian Games in 32 years by cruising to victory in the 100-meter butterfly.

The early leader, Schooling held on 0.15 seconds ahead of Li Zhuhao of China for his second medal of the games, after a bronze in the 200 butterfly on Sunday.

Schooling said his success was a surprise, because he was in transition in training as a freshman at the University of Texas.

“It’s always good that you’re breaking records and you’re always surpassing milestones,” he said.

“That’s one of the big things I think about before practice every day.”

China’s domination

Among the dominating Chinese swimmers, Shen Duo won the women’s 200 freestyle for her fourth gold, following the 100 free and two relay golds, and Jiao Liuyang won the women’s 200 butterfly, leaving London Olympics silver medalist Natsumi Hoshi of Japan in her wake.

Dmitry Balandin of Kazakhstan collected his second gold of the games in the 100 breaststroke, edging Pan Pacific Championships gold medalist Yasuhiro Koseki of Japan.

South Korea won four out of five golds in shooting, and North Korea’s Hong Un Jong won the women’s gymnastics vault.

China’s Zou Kai won the men’s floor exercise, Japan’s Masayoshi Yamamoto the pommel horse, China’s Yao Jinnan the uneven bars, and Liao Junlin the rings.

In baseball, South Korea scored seven unanswered runs in the first innings to shut out Taiwan 10-0, triggering the mercy rule in the eighth.

Meanwhile, in the first doping case, Tajik football player Khurshed Beknazarov failed a drug test on September 14, five days before the football competition kicked off. Beknazarov was disqualified.