SPORTS> Team China
Olympic champion Wang wins 500m
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-01-30 21:43

CHANGCHUN, Northeast China -- Olympic champions had a bitter sweet day in the short track speed skating of the Asian Winter Games here on Tuesday.

Turin Olympic triple winner Ahn Hyun Soo of South Korea was disqualified -- after he finished first in the men's 500m. Ahn was ruled committed a foul while overtaking Li Ye of China from inside lane.

But Turin Olympic 500m titlist Wang Meng tasted the sweetness of victory as China made a podium sweep in the women's 500m.

Wang, bronze medalist in Monday's 1,500m race, refreshed her own Asian record created in the semi-final to win in 43.869 seconds, before Fu Tianyu took silver in 44.060. Zhu Mile came third in 44.159.

Wang, 500m winner in Turin Olympic Games last year, said she wanted to go back to the provincial team citing poor coorperation between Chinese skaters in the competition after losing out to Jung Eun Ju of South Korea for the 1,500m title on Monday.

"I felt I was in a safe-box today since Fu and Zhu were behind me. I owe my victory to them," said the 21-year-old Wang.

Ahn, 21, brought South Korea three gold medals in Turin last year in 1,000m, 1,500m and 5,000m relay but had a bad day here.

His result was annulled and Asian champion Hu Ze from China was promoted to the first place in 42.042 seconds.

Song Kyung Taek kept a place for South Korea, taking silver in 42.167 while Asiad 1,500m bronze medalist Li Ye picked up another bronze in 56.119 after a bad fall on the ice.

Both Hu and Song surpassed the previous Asian record of 42.537 set by Japanese Satoru Terao.