The story of dominating gold-medal snatchers in China
WHO: Wu Penggen and Xu Linyin
WHERE: 2010 Asian Games Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament
HOW: Read the following story...
For another consecutive year, China outplayed other participants of the Beach Volleyball Tournament in both male and female categories of Asian Games. In the women’s division, China’s top-seeded Xue Chen and Zhang Xi secured the title for second year, while
Chinese men were never behind in the game. Wu Penggen and Xu Linyin of China proved their steel at Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament and ousted their country mates, Gao Peng and Li Jian in the final showdown. They posted 25-23 and 21-14 in two straight sets
and got hold of the title trophy.
The final combat of Men’s Beach Volleyball Tournament was staged in Guangzhou, China on Wednesday, 24th November, 2010 in a totally sold out arena. A large number of local and international fans gathered to witness the great performance of two
Chinese duos. The players of both sides were quite familiar for each other as they trained together in preparation for the Asian Games. The fans showed a great emotional support for both teams. However, the pairing of Wu and Xu lived their dream of victory
and clinched the gold-ware.
Point-to-point synopsis
The match was opened on a happy note. The two sides didn’t take any pressure and played a natural game. The duo of Xu and Wu produced powerful serves to create a strong impression on the rival side. On the other hand, Gao/Li also used their tactics and exhibited
a spectacular game. The start of the game was slow but gradually it picked up great pace. The vibe of the game could be judged by the noise of fans as they cheered and whistled at every winning shot. At the first technical timeout (FTT), score remained hand-in-hand.
However, Wu started hard-hitting after the FTT and earned quick points with the help of unstoppable cut-shots.
Li resisted to the opponents’ strike and saved many points by excellent digging and diving. The see-saw battle continued until the end of first set. Finally, Wu/Xu got the perfect kill and closed the first set with two-point lead (25-23).
The victory put Wu and Xu in a perfect rhythm and they opened the second set with confident shots. They picked up the lead in early minutes of the game and used it for their advantage. The duo of Gao and Li was drafted under pressure and suffered the set
back. Wu hit long jump serves, while Xu attacked the rival side with spikes at lightning speed. They widened the gap of points and diminished Gao/Li’s chances to survive. The better defence and attack strategy enabled Xu/Wu to claim the second set at 25-14.
Player quotes
Wu was overjoyed with the gold-medal victory. He expressed his view after the match. Wu said, "We learned from past mistakes. Xu and I studied each other's games. We tried to make ourselves the best-prepared partnership for these Games, and I think those
preparations helped us achieve our goal more easily. We played quite well with excellent combinations in the final."
Likewise Xu also added into the conversation, "I'm very glad that our two goals – the World Tour and the Asian Games – have been accomplished. These achievements obviously indicate that we will have a decent chance when we play at the London 2012 Olympics.”
Gao appreciated the good work of Wu/Xu. He said, "It was a tough match. We had prepared well for the final and had also learned from every match in the competition. My partner Li Jian had told me to expect a difficult game against Wu and Xu. Nonetheless,
I'm happy with my form. Li and I did our best and will learn from any mistakes in future tournaments."
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