(ATR) Liu Xiang powered his way to victory in his heat of the 110m hurdles, cheered on by the crowd in the Aotio Main Stadium, and many more watching on televisions across the city.
In bars and restaurants, service halted for a few seconds around 6:20 p.m. as Chinese fans held their breath, hoping Liu would put behind him the disappointment of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In one volunteer booth downtown, staff attempted to get the internet feed up and running so commuters could catch the live action.
"A lot of Liu Xiang fans have been asking when he will race," said 20-year-old student Jen. "We have not had the TV on every day, but we knew that this race would be popular.
"I am sure we will have it again for his final."
The pin-up boy of Chinese sport did not disappoint, winning in 13.5 seconds. He will now go for gold on Wednesday.
Another of China’s sporting heroes, badminton star Lin Dan, woke this morning knowing he had fulfilled his goal of collecting the full set of gold medals to his name.
The 27-year-old reigning Olympic champion and three time world title holder had never won gold in the Asian Games, but he put that right in Guangzhou Sunday night.
"I am happy to win the gold medal," he said. "This is along time dream come true, but I will fight on in the future and continue to work hard.
His triumph over Malaysia’s world number one Lee Chong Wei was a boost to home fans as the mixed doubles title had gone to the Korean pair of Shin Baekcheol and Lee Hyochung who defeated Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei. China won five of the seven titles on offer.
Back on the track China’s Lao Yi won gold in a 100m race that saw the first seven runners separated by just 0.12 seconds.
Qatar celebrated its first gold medal when Femi Seun Ogunode won the 400m.
Saudi Arabia also reached the top of the podium for the first time in Guangzhou with success in the equestrian team event.
In tennis, India clinched the men’s doubles title with a win for Somdev Devvarman and Singh Sanam Krishnan over Gong Maoxin and LiZhe.
Devvarman now goes for a second gold in the men’s final tomorrow. In the women’s singles Peng Shuai will carry home hopes.
Tomorrow sees the medals awarded in rugby as Asia’s finest continue their build up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when Rugby Sevens takes its bow on the Olympic stage. Both China and Japan impressed early in the men’s event and they could meet in the final.
ATR coverage of the Guangzhou Asian Games
is Proudly Presented by PyeongChang 2018
With reporting from Matt Horn in Guangzhou.
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