Sawt Falasteen - Five-star Zhang does it again as North Koreans burst into tears

Hosts China have racked up 90 golds across a range of sports over five full days of action and their dominance has been very much in evidence in the swimming pool.

Swimming was one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the Games, boasting numerous world-class competitors, and there was added interest this time because the Paris Olympics are just 10 months away.

On the penultimate night of swimming, China cleaned up in five of the seven finals, with South Korea winning the other two through Kim Woo-min (men's 800m freestyle) and Baek In-chul (men's 50m butterfly).

Along with triple men's breaststroke world champion Qin Haiyang, who was another winner on Thursday, the 25-year-old Zhang has spearheaded China's ominous charge in the pool.

The butterfly world and Olympic champion displayed her versatility to clock a Games-record 24.26sec in winning the 50m freestyle ahead of Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey, another star of these Games.

Zhang scorched to victory previously in the 100 and 200m fly and also has two relay titles in her bulging collection.

- North Korean tears -

Three North Korean shooters cried their eyes out on the podium after winning the country's first gold of the Games.

North Korea are at their first major international competition since the pandemic, having skipped the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and then been barred from the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The trio saluted and gradually dissolved into floods of tears as the red, white and blue North Korean flag was hoisted -- in contravention of a World Anti-Doping Agency edict.

Paek Ok Sim, Pang Myong Hyang and Ri Ji Ye triumphed in the 10m running target women's team competition.

Two more golds soon rolled in for North Korea, both from gymnast An Chang Ok, who similarly turned on the waterworks.

Competing against An in the vault final was the 48-year-old Uzbek Oksana Chusovitina.

Chusovitina, who made her international debut for the Soviet Union, finished agonisingly outside the medals in fourth.

She is targeting a scarcely believable ninth Olympics in Paris next year.

"I was lacking a bit today, but that's OK, life's not over," said Chusovitina, who was given a rousing reception by the Hangzhou crowd.

- Faker's revenge -

Hosts China may be well clear in the overall medals table, but for the second day running it was Japan who dominated on the cycling track, winning the women's Madison, men's sprint and men's omnium points race.

And in eSports -- which is making its debut at the Games as a medal event -- South Korea underlined why the country is considered the home of gaming as Kim Gwan-woo won gold in Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

South Korean athletes at the Games, including eSports players, can controversially earn an exemption from military service if they come home with gold.

Also in eSports, in a rerun of the final five years ago -- when it was only a demonstration sport -- South Korea defeated China in the semi-finals of League of Legends.

It was revenge for South Korea and Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, arguably the most famous gamer of all time.

Fans unable to get into the futuristic-looking 4,500-capacity Hangzhou Esports Center thronged outside in the hope of catching a glimpse of Faker.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST