Shanghai Surprise
ESPN Star Sports
May. 31, 2001
29 May 2001 Shanghai: Despite an unseasonably wet Sunday, relentless rains stared around 2pm, more than 2000 people turned out last weekend to cheer on competitors at the first Asian Xtour to be held in China. More than 90 athletes gathered in Shanghai to take part in Asia's leading sports competition and compete for a chance to represent China at the regional qualifier to be held early next year in Malaysia.
The Shanghai Xtour presented by TOYOTA marked the opening of the 2001 season, the fourth time that ESPN's X Games competition has been held in Asia. It was also the first time that an X Games event has been held in China. Athletes came from over 10 provinces, from the northern-most Hei Long Jiang to the southern gate Shenzhen. Not to mention Beijing, the capital, Guangzhou, Nanjing and the host city Shanghai.
Action sports are relatively new to China, but Chinese athletes have already shown their potential. US Pro skaters and head judges for the Shanghai event, World Cup Skateboarding representative and street skatin' master, Sasha Steinhorst, Inliner Azikwee Anderson and Hoffman bikes representative, Mark Owen, all agreed that Chinese athletes will soon reach world class level, given greater opportunities to participate in international competitions such as ESPN's X Games.
A small contingent of Chinese athletes took part in last year's Asian X Games Qualifier presented by TOYOTA and made a great impression on all who saw them. Aggressive inline skaters Zhao Bao Qiu, Lu Fang Jun, Zhu Guang Bo and Liu Min performed extremely competitively in the finals of the vert doubles event, against a field of the world's best skaters.
At this weekend's Shanghai competition Zhao once again dominated in the inline park event, followed by two other Phuket veterans Liu Min and Lu Fang Jun. Zhao Jin Hong, Zhao's younger sister, clinched a second in Junior inline park event. She and the winner, Zhu Yang Hong, another 13-year-old girl from Shandong, beat the male field and both secured a berth at the Asian X Games Qualifier IV to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next year.
The skateboarding event was rained out so the preliminary round scores decided the winner: Fu Ling Chao. Similarly, Liang Le Min won the bicycle stunt park event based on the preliminary round scores.
Guangdong athletes showed their strength in bicycle stunt flatland as they came in one-two in this event. Zhong Teng Fei beat his teammate Zeng Zhi Peng. It was a satisfying achievement for Zhong, as twice Zeng had beaten him; at last year's National Championship and last month's International Invitational.
The first and second place finishers in both the Senior and Junior events will receive an expenses-paid trip to compete at the regional competition, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next January. The third placed finalist in the Senior competition events also qualified for a trip to Kuala Lumpur.
The Shanghai event is the only opportunity for Chinese athletes to enter the Asian X Games Qualifier presented by TOYOTA, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in January 2002. The Chinese athletes qualifying for this regional event will compete for a share of US$80,000 prize money. Top finishers in Kuala Lumpur, will also receive a medal and an invitation to compete in ESPN's X Games in the USA.
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