HYDERABAD, 1 November 2003 — India ended the Afro-Asian Games with a 3-1 win over archrivals Pakistan in yesterday’s field hockey final, and Asia emerged as victor in the inaugural two-continent event.
Asia started with an unassailable 63-46 lead in the gold medal race, with 21 finals on the program and Africans featuring in only three of the 11 boxing deciders.
All three African boxers won, but Asia had already secured the intercontinental bragging rights. Local fans beat drums and let off crackers and fireworks to celebrate India’s third consecutive win in the intense South Asian hockey derby.
Goals from Arjun Halappa, Len Aiyappa and Gagan Ajit Singh helped India to repeat its win in last month’s Asia Cup final. Ghazanfar Ali provided Pakistan’s only goal.
Innomov Islam’s last-minute long-range strike earned Uzbekistan a 1-0 win over India in the soccer final, while Zimbabwe beat Rwanda on penalties for the bronze.
Asian Games champion Chen Ying won the women’s 10-meter air pistol as China finished atop the shooting standings with six of the 15 gold medals available.
Lee Sang-hak of South Korea overcame two Chinese to win the men’s 25-meter rapid fire pistol, the last final contest.
Iranian weightlifters Mohammad Salehi Sharfd and Rashid Sharif Sadeh won gold and silver in the men’s heavyweight division with combined totals of 372.5 kilograms and 370, with Mike Enamson Raleigh of Nigeria in third.
China’s Yang Houquin was 20 kilos clear of her nearest rival in the women’s under-75 kilogram class, winning at 242.5.
The inaugural Afro-Asian Games hadn’t quite finished when local organizers were trumpeting the event as proof India could host international events on a grander scale.
New Delhi is vying with Hamilton, Ontario, to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games, with a decision hinging on a vote of 72 federation members in Jamaica on Nov. 13.
Indians rose to the challenge, inside and out of the sports arena.
The Andhra Pradesh provincial government got its capital ready inside four months to stage the games after the Indian Olympic Committee switched venues from New Delhi. More than 2,000 athletes and officials competed in eight sports at two main venue precincts in Hyderabad.
Emerging starlet Sania Mirza won her third and fourth gold medals on the final day of tennis and said she felt like a hero at home.
The Wimbledon junior doubles champion teamed up with former world No. 1 doubles player Mahesh Bhupathi in the mixed doubles and India swept all tennis gold medals.
Although the tournament was devoid of strong competition as most top tennis nations didn’t send teams.
Mirza and Bhupathi beat Vishal Uppal and Rushmi Chakravarty 7-6, 6-3 in an all-Indian mixed doubles final, while Vijay Kannan beat Johnny Arcilla of the Philippines 6-1, 6-1 for the men’s singles title. The hosts picked up five gold medals in athletics, won the women’s hockey final in a thriller against South Africa as well as shooting and titles.
China, South Africa and Ethiopia also won five gold medals in athletics, while Africa beat Asia 25-15 in athletics.
Japan won five of the last six gold medals in swimming to finish 14 titles in the pool. South African swimmers won eight gold to head Africa’s challenge.
Organizers from India and Africa, which will host the 2007 edition of the games, also launched the “Hyderabad Declaration.”
