Holding back the waters
Tears in the pool; no shows; prayers at the Asian Games
Posted: Sunday December 13, 1998 03:00 PM
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A familiar sight: Ito won four gold medals at the Asian Games AP |
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- For one anguished fan, the news that Japanese swim star Shunsuke Ito had left the building was too much to bear. She burst into tears.
To his bemusement, Ito is not only making waves in the pool: he's become a heart-throb of the Asian Games after winning four swimming gold medals.
"To be so popular in Thailand was surprising for me because in Japan I'm not popular at all," the swimmer said after picking up his fourth gold -- in the men's 4 x 100 medley relay -- on Saturday.
The distraught fan, one of many who have sought Ito's autograph, was still hanging around outside the swimming pool at least an hour after the last race had ended and began to cry when told he had left.
Ito's identical twin, Shusuke, also is competing in the Asian Games and won a relay gold and a silver behind his older twin in the 100 freestyle.
Off the chart
With the Asian Games at mid-point, more than a third of the participating nations have yet to appear on the medals chart.
Among the 15 no shows are some of the world's poorest nations, including Cambodia, Laos, Bhutan and Bangladesh, as well as tiny countries like Macau, Brunei and Bahrain.
Others that have yet to reap gold, silver or bronze are the Maldives, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and Yemen.
Heading the competition among 41 nations are Asian sports superpowers China, Japan and South Korea.
With some strong athletes in track and field, Qatar and Sri Lanka are likely to end their medal droughts before the Games end December 20.
Miraculous serpents
Some officials are claiming that Thailand's mythical serpents -- the nagas -- performed an Asian Games miracle.
According to the games' official newspaper, a rainstorm was fast approaching just as electricity was about to be tested at the main stadium before the start of the 41-nation competition.
What could stop the rain?
The venue official turned to the nagas and prayed. The testing proceeded. The heavens only opened up five minutes after the test was completed.
Statues of two gigantic nagas, a male and a female, stand beside the main stadium at the Thammasat Sports Complex, one of three major centers of the 13th Asian Games.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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