BEIJING: China has won its first gold of the Beijing Games, emerging victorious in the mixed team relay at short-track speedskating in the event’s Olympic debut.
Wu Dajing edged Italy’s Pietro Sighel by .016 seconds. That’s half a skate blade. Hungary earned bronze Saturday night.
Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin and Ren Ziwei joined Wu for the historic victory. The small number of Chinese fans at Capital Indoor Arena cheered and waved tiny flags.
The results were delayed while the referee reviewed the race. Canada was penalized for pushing from behind and causing contact with Hungary.
China was the favorite coming in, having led the World Cup standings this season.
