http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/ Travel Blog To Asia Featuring Newest Tourist Attractions, Famous Places Of Interest And Upcoming Events en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 ©2004-2005 A Guide To Asia Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/ http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss//graphics-weblog.jpg 144 35 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=928
The women’s water polo Beijing Olympic Games went to the Netherlands who snatched the water polo gold from the United States women’s water polo team. A great fightback from the US water polo was insufficient as the Dutch beat the Americans 9-8. After being 4 golds down, the 2008 Beijing USA water polo team drew level at 5 apiece. The score then became 8 goals each after and looked as though the gold medal play-off match was heading for overtime but a spectacular gold by Danielle de Bruijn allowed the hard working Dutch water polo team into the list of the 2008 Beijing gold winners. The Netherlands women’s water polo team, coached by Robin van Galen, is made up for Iefke van Belkum, Gillian van den Berg, Danielle de Bruijn, Mieke Cabout, Rianne Guichelaar, Biurakn Hakhverdian, Marieke van den Ham, Noeki Klein, Simone Koot, Ilse van der Meijden, Meike de Nooy, Alette Sijbring and Yasemin Smit. Top US women’s water polo players representing Team USA in the 2008 Olympics and also the 2008 American silver medal winners are Elizabeth Armstrong, Patty Cardenas, Kami Craig, Natalie Golda, Alison Gregorka, Brittany Hayes, Jaime Hipp, Moriah van Norman, Heather Petri, Jessica Steffens, Brenda Villa, Lauren Wenger and Elsie Windes. The water polo women’s team from Australia joined the list of the Australia 2008 Beijing bronze medalists by knocking out Hungary 12-11. The Australian water polo team in the 2008 Olympics who took bronze are Gemma Beadsworth, Nikita Cuffe, Suzie Fraser, Taniele Gofers, Kate Gynther, Amy Hetzel, Bronwen Knox, Emma Knox, Alicia McCormack, Melissa Rippon, Rebecca Rippon, Jenna Santoromito and Mia Santoromito. Taking the fifth spot is the Chinese water polo team which is followed by the Italian water polo team. China beat Italy 10-7 in the women's water polo classification for 5th and 6th placings. Russian trounced the Greece 12-6 to avoid finishing last in the 2008 Beijing water polo final standings. The Russian women’s team scored the most goals in the second of the four periods whereby water polo is played in four periods with eight minutes in each period.

* Your Complete Asia Travel Guide *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=928 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 03:54:33 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=928 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=927
Another Chinese joined the 2008 Beijing badminton China gold medalist list when Olympic title holder, Zhang Ning successfully kept her crown by beating the world number one ranked Xie Xingfang 21-12, 10-21, 21-18. By the time the match reaches the third set, both players could be seen to be really exhausted and they even used the badminton racquets to support their bodies during the intervals. Lu Lan of China failed to give China a clean sweep in the badminton women’s singles competition when she was upset by Maria Kristin Yulianti of Indonesia 21-11, 13-21, 15-21. Although disappointed with her failure to capture the elusive Olympic gold in badminton, Xie Xingfang who is the girlfriend of Lin Dan, was happy that the women’s singles gold stayed with the Chinese badminton team. The strength of the Chinese women’s badminton players was never in doubt after Yu Yang and Du Jing spectacularly defeated Lee Kyung-won and Lee Hyo-jung of South Korea 21-15, 21-13 in the 2008 Beijing Games women’s doubles badminton contest. This is the fourth straight gold medal won by the Chinese in the women’s doubles event. The top South Korean doubles pair could not defend the consistent powerful smashes of the Chinese girls badminton doubles pair. The defending Olympic title holder, Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen surprisingly lost to Japanese pair Miyuki Maeda and Satoko Suetsuna in the quarter-final 21-8, 21-23, 14-21. Despite the heroics display by the top Japanese badminton pair, they went home empty handed after crashing out to Wei Yili and Zhang Yawen of China in straight sets of 21-17, 21-10 in the bronze medal badminton play-off. So, who can beat the Chinese doubles pair in the 2012 London Olympics?

The 2008 Olympic Games badminton medal winners in the mixed doubles event are South Korea 2008 Beijing gold winners, Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae who trounced the 2008 silver medal winners from Indonesia, Nova Widianto and Liliyana 21-11, 21-17. This is the only badminton event in the 2008 Olympics that China does not have a representative to compete for the gold medal. Famous Indonesian badminton players, Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa failed to bring home the bronze after being edged by the home favorite team of He Hanbin and Yu Yang of China 21-19, 17-21, 21-23. So, it is not a surprise to see China winning the bulk of the badminton medals with a haul of 3 golds, 2 silvers and 3 bronzes. Indonesia and South Korea came in joint second in the 2008 Beijing badminton medal tally by taking 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal while the only medal winner in the 2008 Olympics for Malaysia is a silver medal from the badminton competition.

* Asia Travel Guide To Famous Attractions In Asia *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=927 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:21:28 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=927 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=926
The opening 2008 Ryder Cup foursomes will showcase some very interesting pairings. The 2008 Ryder Cup foursomes matches will be played in the morning while the 2008 Ryder Cup fourballs will be played in the afternoon. Get all your Day 1 2008 Ryder Cup results and scores here. Match 1 of the 2008 Ryder Cup tournament saw Padraig Harrington, who won the 2008 Open Championship (2008 British Open) and the 2008 PGA Championship (2008 U.S. PGA Championship), and Robert Karlsson, who has won 8 European Tour, halved with Korean American Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson. The Europeans seemed to have the upper hand in this match and looked certain for a point until US Ryder Cup rookie Anthony Kim, winner of 2 PGA Tour, made a spectacular five-foot par saver on the 18th hole to share the honors. The Europeans made four birdies to the two birdies by the American but a pair of bogies on the 13th and 14th holes from the Europeans caused them their lead. The Europeans also missed some short putts on the eighth, ninth and 13th holes. Match 2 of the Ryder Cup event saw Americans Justin Leonard, winner of the 2008 Stanford St. Jude Championship, and Hunter Mahan, who is ranked in the top 30 of the Official World Golf Rankings, beating Henrik Stenson, who won the Dubai Desert Classic and WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2007, and Paul Casey, who is a member of the world's top two professional golf tours, the U.S. based PGA Tour and the European Tour, of Team Europe 3 and 2 in the alternate shot format. Hunter Mahan produced an amazing performance with clutch putting and great iron shots while Justin Leonard was consistent in converting on the greens. The top Swedish professional golfer and top British golfer, Paul Casey who were representing Europe put up a dismay performance. The UK professional golfer even hit two shots into the water. An interesting Ryder Cup was displayed in Match 3 where famous American golfers Chad Campbell, who won his first PGA Tour at the 2007 Viking Classic, and Stewart Cink, who is the World No.6 in June 2008 after winning the Travelers Championship, defeated Ian Poulter, who hit a hole-in-one at the 2008 Masters Tournament, and Justin Rose, the top-ranked European golfer in the World Rankings, 1-up. The Americans produced a heroic fightback after Stewart Clink produced a conceded birdie on the 18th hole after they were 3-down after six holes. The British golfer in the 2008 Ryder Team put in too many awkward positions in the long grass to be useful while top English professional golfer, Justin Rose hit too many drives into the Kentucky Bluegrass rough. In an exciting Match 4 Ryder Cup, Jim Furyk, whose only major championship win was at the 2008 US Open, and Kenny Perry, who has a career 13 professional wins, of USA halved with Sergio Garcia, who won 2008 The Players Championship, and Lee Westwood, who made his Ryder Cup debut in 1997, of the Team Europe Ryder Cup team. Sergio Garcia, a top Spanish professional golfer, was not as sharp as he used to be while his partner, English professional golfer, Lee Westwood was steady in his putting. The American was favorite to collect full pints after being two up with two to play but consecutive bogeys allowed Sergio Garcia to remain unblemished in foursomes.

Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson joined up for the American team in 2008 Ryder Cup Match 5 to down top European golfers of Padraig Harrington and fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell, who won the 2008 Ballantine's Championship in South Korea and the 2008 Barclays Scottish Open, 2-up to collect a point in this foursome Ryder Cup golf match. The Americans rallied from 3 down and Phil Mickelson was the star player with seven birdies. Padraig Harrington who is the famous Irish professional golfer came up short in each match. Graeme McDowell, the professional golfer from Northern Ireland who is making his Ryder Cup debut, and his partner were simply no match for Phil Mickelson. Anthony Kim is the youngest player on the USA Ryder team at 23. In Match 6 of the 2008 Ryder golf competition, Ian Poulter and Justin Rose grab a point for the 2008 European Ryder Cup team when they beat Ben Curtis of Ohio and Steve Stricker, who was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year in 2007, of Team USA 4 and 2. The English golf pair put a superb golfing display and Ian Poulter made most of the European birdies. Ben Curtis failed to make a single birdie while Steve Stricker displayed some great iron shots. The Americans hit back in Match 7 of the Ryder Cup contest when Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan beat Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez 4 and 3 in best ball. This top American pair collected two points on the first day of the 2008 Ryder Cup competition. Justin Leonard made five birdies while Hunter Mahan got 4 birdies. The Americans had no bogies in 15 holes. The Spanish pair hardly got into the rhythm and their efforts were paled in comparison to the shot-making and putting display put up by the American golfers in this Ryder Cup match. Match 8 is the last Ryder Cup 2008 Day 1 golf match. A high quality of golfing entertainment was seen in Match 8 which saw J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley halved Soren Hansen and his partner Lee Westwood. The American Ryder team looked certain to take the one point that was up for grabs is not for a stumble on the final hole by the Kentucky and Florida American golf pairing. Bob Weekly was the better golfer in this match. The famous Danish golfer, Soren Hansen had a solid round of golf while top English golfer, Lee Westwood drove the ball splendidly to counter his opponent’s power display. Paul Azinger selected all six of his 2008 Ryder Cup rookies to play on Day 1 and the results were a satisfying 3-2-3. After Day One of the Ryder Cup, the score was a 5 ½ - 2 ½ lead for the Americans.

What are the Ryder Cup Day 2 results? Match 9 produced a point for the Europeans in which top British golfer Ian Poulter who teamed up with South African born English golfer, Justin Rose to beat Alabama born golfer Stewart Cink and Texas born golfer Chad Campbell 4 and 3. The famous golfer from USA missed the first fairway and also the first green and they never looked like winning the match after that. Englishman Ian Poulter was superb by holing putts and stiffing approach shots. Match 10 saw the points bring split among American Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan pairing with the Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain and Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland pairing who are playing for Ryder Cup Team Europe. Justin Leonard produced a splendid putting display to earn the American a share of the points. Miguel Angel Jimenez, one of the few Spanish golf players in 2008 Ryder Cup, produced one of his poorer performances and it looked as though as he was very uncomfortable with the golf course. The Europeans Ryder team 2008 hit back in Match 11 in Day 2 whereby top Swedish player, Henrik Stenson join top English player, Oliver Wilson to defeat Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim 2 and 1. The Americans looked very convincing after taking a 4-up lead through six holes but their performance went downhill after the sixth hole by missing fairways and greens and putts. Phil Mickelson also allowed the misses off the tee to creep into other parts of his game. Oliver Wilson notched an incredible 30-footer for birdie on the par-4 17th. Match 12 saw the American strikes back when Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry pairing downed Team Europe Ryder Cup Team of Padraig Harrington, the PGA and British Open champion and top Swedish golfer, Robert Karlsson 3 and 1. A consistent performance by Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry throughout the match allowed them to beat these top 2008 Ryder Cup European golfers. Jim Furyk made two great iron shots at the second and fifth holes.

Boo Weekley and J.B. Holmes increased the advantage of Team USA in Match 13 when they beat top Danish golfer, Soren Hansen and famous English golfer, Lee Westwood 2 and 1. The American had Boo Weekley to thank for its point who holed a lengthy putt from the fringe at the 14th hole just as the European was gaining momentum. Lee Westwood played well in the initial stages but could not get the putts to fall late to reduce the lead of the Americans. A draw was called in Match 14 when Paul Casey of England and Sergio Garcia of Spain halved Ben Curtis and Steve Stricker. Steve Stricker made some killer birdie putts in this match while Ben Curtis displayed a steady tee-to-green game. The Ryder Cup players from Europe of Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter narrowed the deficit by beating the American combination of Jim Furyk and Kenny Perry 1 up in Match 15. The European combination of Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter one-putted 12 of the last 13 greens whereby they made eight birdies and four improbable pars. The American put on a spirited display but the Europeans were simply too good. Ryder Cup 2008 Day 2 saw honors being shared in the last match of the day. Americans Hunter Mahan and Phil Mickelson halved with Europeans Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson in Match 16. A spectacular performance by Robert Karlsson allowed the Europeans to claim ½ point when he made six birdies in a seven-hole stretch that began at the 10th hole. A win for Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson would have pulled Team Europe within a point entering the 2008 Ryder Cup singles matches but the halve at least kept their hopes alive of a fourth straight Ryder Cup. The American lead 9-7 after the full results of the 2008 Ryder Cup is obtained after Day Two. Rookies certainly ruled at the Valhalla Golf Club Day 2 matches at the 37th Ryder Cup. The 10 rookies that teed it up in the foursomes and fourball sessions on Day 2 helped account for 4 ½ of the eight points that was up for grabs. Team USA emerged from a thrilling fourball battle with a 9-7 lead going into the 2008 singles matches in the Ryder Cup. Team Europe collected 2 ½ in the foursomes compared to the 1 ½ earned by the Americans. The fourball matches were evenly split at 2-2 a piece. A great display of golf is expected in the 12 singles matches of the 2008 Ryder Cup competition.

Get the Ryder Cup Day Three results for singles here. Day 3 2008 Ryder Cup singles matches contest began with Match 17. The talented Korean American golfer, Anthony Kim beat Spanish star golfer, Sergio Garcia for a 5-and-4 victory to increase the advantage held by the 2008 Ryder Cup American team. The US Ryder Cup player was 3 up when the Spanish rinsed two balls in the water beside the green at the par-5 seventh. The American was too good for Sergio Garcia and set the tone for a US win by giving Sergio Garcia his worst loss ever in the Ryder Cup and keeping him winless at the Valhalla golf course. Hunter Maher halved Paul Casey in Match 18 Day Three of the Ryder Cup competition. An exciting tussle was seen in Match 18. Paul Casey drew level with a 12-foot birdie at 16. The famous California born golfer dropped in a 50-foot birdie to reclaim a 1-up lead but unfortunately pushed his drive at 18 into the water to allow Englishman Paul Casey an easy birdie to share the points. Hunter Mahan was the only player to go all five matches without losing and this is the only match that reached the 18th. The European 2008 Ryder Cup team hit back when Robert Karlsson of Sweden beat Team USA’s Justin Leonard 5 and 3 in Match 19. Justin Leonard, who scored two points in the first day of the 2008 Ryder Cup, could not produce his good form in this singles 2008 Ryder Cup match. Robert Karlsson, a recent winner on the European PGA Tour, had a pair of kick-in birdies to jump-start his victory while American Justin Leonard had two key birdie misses early in the match that cost him two holes. Justin Leonard, who has yet to taste defeat going into singles by making a slew of putts, was the only player who failed to make a birdie in Day 3 of the 2008 Ryder Cup. Justin Rose saw off the challenge of Phil Mickelson 3 and 2 in Match 20 to claim a valuable point for Team Europe. The talented European rookie denied the American a win in the Ryder Cup singles match since 1999. Justin Rose showed off his golfing skills by making a 30-footer for birdie on the 16th hole after Phil Mickelson made a 4-foot birdie on the 15th. Kenny Perry created an upset when he beat favorite Henrik Stenson 3 and 2 in Match 21. The famous golfer from Sweden hit 5 birdies but was not good enough on the day to beat the inform American Ryder Cup golfer.

The golfer from Florida, American Ryder Cup rookie Bob Weekley took another valuable point for Team USA when he defeated Oliver Wilson 4 and 2 in Match 22. The English golfer never had a chance against the in-form American. In a very tight contest, local Kentucky star golfer J.B. Holmes edged Soren Hansen in Match 23 where no golfer led more than 2 up. Despite a solid putting by the famous Danish golfer, the Kentuckian hit a few massive drives in the match to claim the point for the American Ryder team. Key shots by J.B. Holmes include a 8-foot par at No. 11 to square the match and a massive drive and holed an 8-foot putt for a 1-up lead on the 16th. American top Ryder Cup player, Jim Furyk beat Miguel Angel Jimenez win a 2-and-1 win in Match 24 to win the 2008 Ryder Cup for Team USA. The Spanish golfer had poor game as he struggled to find the range with his putter the whole day and misses many key puts. The veteran American golfer from Pennsylvania played a smart and impeccable match while the Spaniard never once took the lead against Jim Furyk. Top Alabama golfer Stewart Cink lost to Graeme McDowell 2 and 1 in Match 25. Although Stewart Cink birdied holes 2, 3 and 4, he gave the advantage back to the famous from Northern Ireland by losing three holes with back-breaking bogies. A key shot for Graeme McDowell was a 5-foot birdie on the 13th. In Match 26, it was another incredible performance from famous English golfer, Ian Poulter who beat Steve Stricker 3 and 2. One of the star players from Europe in the Ryder Cup 2008 competition has to be Ian Poulter who won four of the five matches he played in the 2008 Ryder Cup. Although USA has already won the 2008 Ryder Cup, Steve Stricker could not beat the Englishman to celebrate a personal triumphed over the in-form European player who is the only player from Team Europe to play five matches. Ben Curtis upset the form book by beating the veteran golfer from England, Lee Westwood 2 and 1 in Match 27. Although Lee Westwood went 2 up with an amazing eagle at the 10th, the rookie Ryder Cup team member from USA won five of the last seven holes whereby Ben Curtis closed out his first Ryder Cup win with a birdie on the last hole. In the final Match 28 of Day 3 Ryder Cup 2008 tournament, a disappointing game by Padraig Harrington who made seven bogies over the course 17 holes eventually lost to American Chad Campbell. Who won the 2008 Ryder singles match? The Americans took the Ryder Cup singles with a 7 ½ to 4 ½ margin. The victory by the 2008 US Ryder team was the largest margin of victory for the Americans since 1981. Get all the 2008 Ryder Cup facts and the Ryder Cup 2008 results here.

* Asia Travel Guide *]]> Sports http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=926 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:21:41 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=926 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=925
* Asia Travel Guide To Top Holiday Destinations In Asia *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=925 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:38:17 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=925 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=924
* Hong Kong Travel Guide And Travel Ideas To Hong Kong *]]> Hong Kong http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=924 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:47:47 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=924 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=923
Grabbing the 2008 Beijing Olympics women’s volleyball gold medal is the 2008 Olympic volleyball team from Brazil. The Brazilian gold medalists in the 2008 Olympic Games defeated the US volleyball team, who was coached by China-born head coach Lang Ping, 3-1 (25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-21) in the volleyball goal medal play-off match and dropped the only set in the Olympics volleyball competition. This is the only Beijing 2008 final in volleyball that was not won by the volleyball players from United States. The 2008 Brazilian gold medalists in volleyball include Carolina Albuquerque, Jaqueline Carvalho, Sheilla Castro, Fabiana Claudino, Welissa Gonzaga, Thaisa Menezes, Valeska Menezes, Fabiana de Oliveira, Paula Pequeno, Helia Souza, Marianne Steinbrecher and Oliveira Walewska. The Brazil Olympic volleyball team is the world number one team which had just claimed the seventh FIVB World Grand Prix title. Some excellent blocking by Sheilla Castro, Fabiana Claudino and Marianne Steinbrecher allowed the Brazilian to claim the first set. Good spikes by Tom Logan and Tayyiba Haneef-Park allowed the US to draw level in the second set. The Beijing 2008 US silver medal winners simply have no answers when the Brazilian hitters started to drive deep down both sides of the court while Sheilla Castro’s left-side spikes continued to trouble the US team' defense in the third and fourth sets which were subsequently won by the Brazilians. So, who are the 2008 Beijing American silver medal winners in women’s volleyball competition? The volleyball runner-up in the women’s category is Lindsey Berg, Heather Bown, Nicole Davis, Kim Glass, Tayyiba Haneef-Park, Jennifer Joines, Robyn Ah Mow-Santos, Ogonna Nnamani, Danielle Scott-Arruda, Stacy Sykora, Logan Tom and Kim Willoughby. The 2008 Beijing Chinese bronze medal winners beat Cuba, who is the volleyball champions in 1992, 1996 and 2000, 3-1 (25-16, 21-25, 25-13, 25-20). The Cubans were denied a fourth straight Olympic medal. The flag-waving Chinese supporters went ecstatic when Chinese middle blocker Zhao Ruirui scored the vital point to help China snatched a face saving bronze medal after failing to defend their indoor volleyball Olympic title. Top spiker Wang Yimei and talented captain Feng Kun were among the star players for China. The strength of China's frontline hitters proved too much for the Cubans women’s volleyball team. China's block grew stronger as the match progressed and the Cubans found it difficult to keep up with the Chinese counter-attack. The final name list for the women’s bronze medal winners in the 2008 Beijing in the volleyball match are Feng Kun, Li Juan, Liu Yanan, Ma Yunwen, Wang Yimei, Wei Qiuyue, Xu Yunli, Xue Ming, Yang Hao, Zhang Na, Zhao Ruirui and Zhou Suhong. The 2008 Olympics volleyball final standings include Italy, Japan, Russia and Serbia finishing joint 5th to 8th spot while Poland and Kazakhstan women’s volleyball team finished joint 9th and 10th placing while the joint 11th to 12th placing goes to Algeria and Venezuela.

Taking the 2008 Olympics gold in the men’s beach volleyball are the American duo of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers who narrowly defeated Marcio Araujo and Fabio Luiz Magalhaes of Brazil 2-1 (23-21, 17-21, 15-4). A superb performance by the over 2m tall Phil Dalhausser, the World Tour best blocker in 2006 and 2007 and best hitter in 2007, at the net left the two famous Brazilians beach volleyball players no answer on how to win the third set. Todd Rogers was the best FIVB World Tour defensive player in 2006 and 2007. Brazil's Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos claimed a podium finish when they saw off the Georgian duo of Renato Gomes and Jorge Terceiro 2-0 (21-15, 21-10). Although Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos were not able to defend their Olympic beach volleyball title, they were satisfied with a bronze medal. In the women’s beach volleyball final, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of USA claimed the gold when the 2008 American gold winners thrashed China's Tian Jia and Wang Jie 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) in a match played in heavy rain. It was a close first set up to 17-17 until the American beach volleyball players pulled ahead to grab the first set. The US players took the second set and gold with a dink spike. The Chinese duo was very happy with their performance since the previous best Olympic finish for China in beach volleyball was in ninth position. Three-time Olympian Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh did not lose a single set in Beijing 2008. Who won the bronze in the women’s beach volleyball? The famous beach volleyball combination from China of Xue Chen and Zhang Xi beat Brazilian pair Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro 2-0 (21-19, 21-17). The win by the Chinese pair was extremely sweet since the Brazilian duo is the winner of five FIVB World Tour gold medals.

* Your Top Travel Destinations Guide To Asia *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=923 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:49:28 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=923 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=922
The 2008 Olympics pistol competition saw some shocking results. A surprise gold medal winner in the pistol event is first time Olympic participant from China, Pang Wei who triumphed in the men's 10m air pistol final. The silver pistol silver medalist in 2008 Beijing is Jin Jong-oh of South Korea while American marksman Jason Turner claimed the bronze to add another medal to the Beijing 2008 US total medal table. The North Korean shooter, Kim Jong-Su who initially finished third was disqualified due to anti-doping rules. The Ukrainian gold medalist in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol shooting competition is Oleksandr Petriv. Oleksandr Petriv of Ukraine shot a spectacular score of 780.2 points to set a new Olympic record. Top German shooters grab both the silver and bronze medals. The German silver medal winner is experienced shooter Ralf Schumann while the German bronze medal winner is the talented Christian Reitz. The only 2008 Beijing shooting gold for South Korea was won by Jin Jong Oh in the 50m free pistol shooting contest. The South Korea gold winner in 2008 Beijing managed to hold off a strong challenge from Kim Jong Su of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The North Korean shooter hit 660.2 points to lose to the Beijing 2008 South Korean gold champion who collected 660.4 points. Famous Beijing Olympics Chinese shooter Tan Zongliang sneaked into third placing with a 659.5 score despite having the highest qualification score of 565 points. The shooting star from China will finished his shooting career with a bronze in the Olympics which was later changed to silver when the North Korean shooter was later disqualified due to breach of anti-doping rules for testing positive for propranolol. Promoted to receive the bronze is Russian medal winner Vladimir Isakov in the 50m free pistol division.

In the men’s rifle category, the Beijing 2008 Indian gold medal winner is Abhinav Bindra who took the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle shooting final. This is also the 2008 Olympics first individual gold medal for India. The famous Indian shooter in the rifle event managed to hit all his shots above the 10 point mark and sealed the very important gold for India with a stunning 10.8 last shot. The Chinese defending rifle champion, Zhu Qinan of China got 699.7 points as opposed to the Indian gold winner who shot 700.5 points. The bronze 2008 Olympics 10m air rifle medal went to Finnish 2008 Beijing medal winner, Henri Hakkinen who accrued 699.4 points. This is one of the 2 Beijing Olympics medals for Finland in shooting. Famous Chinese shooter Qiu Jian won the gold in the men’s 50m rifle 3-position by scoring a total of 1272.5 points. The men’s rifle shooting event in the 50m three position Olympic title would have gone to famous American shooter Matthew Emmons, the 2004 Olympics rifle prone champion, had he not choked on his last shot. The Team USA shooter needed only a 6.6 but made a shocked 4.4 and did not even finish in the top three. The shooting silver medalist from Ukraine went to Jury Sukhorukov and Slovenian 2008 Beijing bronze medal winner is Rajmond Debevec. Many in the crowd were hoping to see a gold medal couple after Matthew Emmons’s wife took the first gold in the 2008 Olympics Games. The mistake by Matthew Emmons was not his first. At the 2004 Athens Games, the top US marksmen was also one shot away from claiming the top podium finish and only needed a 7.2 but shot into another shooter’s target. We hope he can make a golden comeback in the 2012 London Games. Artur Ayvazian of Ukraine snatched the gold in the men's 50m rifle prone final and the Ukrainian gold shooter was never in danger of losing after leading all the way. Defending Olympic champion in this rifle event, Matthew Emmons was unable to defend his title and the 2008 Beijing US shooter only managed a silver medal. Warren Potent joined the list of 2008 Beijing Australian medal winners by claiming a valuable bronze in the 50 meters rifle prone contest.

For the men's trap shooting competition in the men’s shotgun category, famous Czech shooter David Kostelecky blasted all 25 birds in the men's trap final despite unfavorable weather conditions to collect 146 hits. Italian shooter Giovanni Pellielo, who has two World Championships and one World Cup Final titles under his belt, grab the trap silver medal while reigning Olympic champion, Alexey Alipov joined them in the podium to collect a bronze to add to the 2008 Beijing Russian medal table tally. Ahmed Almaktoum of United Arab Emirates failed to repeat his golden performance in 2004 Athens. How many golds did the US shooting team in the 2008 Beijing Olympic? 6 and 2 of the medals are gold. One of the 2008 Beijing shooting American gold winners is Walton Eller who claimed victory in the men's double trap final of the shotgun shooting event and broke the Olympic record as well with a score of 190 hits. The runner-up spot goes to Italian Beijing 2008 medal winner Francesco D Aniello while Chinese Olympic top shooter Hu Binyuan took the bronze shotgun medal. 2004 Olympics champion Ahmed Almaktoum from the United Arab Emirates found the competition too tough and failed to qualify for the double trap finals. In the shotgun category, the men's skeet Olympic title went to famous US top shooter, Vincent Hancock who defeated the Norwegian silver medalist, Tore Brovold who was unfortunate to lose in the gold medal shoot-off after scoring the same points as the American top marksman. Joining the list of French bronze medal winners in the 2008 Olympics is Anthony Terras. Vincent Hancock, the world record holder with a maximum of 150 hits, also set a new Olympic skeet record with 145 hits.

Close fights were seen in the women’s 2008 Beijing pistol competitions. China showed its might and strength in shooting again when the Chinese top shooter, Guo Wenjun claimed the women’s 10m air pistol Olympic shooting title. In this pistol shooting division, the sharp shooter from China claimed a new Olympic record by obtaining 492.3 points. The silver medal winners tally for Russia increased by an additional medal when Russian shooter Natalia Paderina took the runner-up spot while Georgian won an Olympic 2008 bronze medal through Nino Salukvadze. China, the shooting powerhouse from Asia, got another gold to add to its list of 2008 Beijing shooting medal winners when Chen Ying beat top Mongolian shooter, Gundegmaa Otryad in the 25m sport pistol final in the pistol shooting competition. The Mongolian silver medal winner is the only medal won by Mongolia in the 2008 Olympics shooting tournament. The 2008 Beijing medal winners for German increased with a bronze winner when Munkhbayar Dorjsuren took a third place finishing.

In the women’s rifle grouping, Czech markswoman Katerina Emmons took the women's 10m air rifle final shooting competition. The gold was even sweeter for the 2008 Beijing Czech gold medalist as this is the first gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Games. The famous Czech sharpshooter also bettered the Olympic record by 1.5 points. Lioubov Galkina, the top Russian shooter, outclassed Croat shooting star Snjezana Pejcic to finished in second spot. The Croatian bronze medalist is the only 2008 Beijing medal winner in shooting for Croatia. Pressure got to crowd favorite, Du Li of China who performed miserably and could not even get any of her shots above 10.5 in the finals. Taking the women's 50 meters rifle 3-positions gold medal is crowd favorite, Du Li of China. The famous Chinese shooter and 2008 Beijing gold medalist from China put on an amazing performance to break the Olympic record with a score of 690.3 points. Du Li was filled with joy after her failure to defend her 10m air rifle Olympics title. Taking the silver medal is Katerina Emmons from the Czech Republic who hit 687.7 points while famous Olympic shooter from Cuba, Eglis Yaima Cruz came in third to claim the bronze. Katerina Emmons is the first gold medalist in 2008 Beijing.

The shotgun contest in the women’s competition saw Finnish gold medalist in the 2008 Olympics trap competition for women is Satu Makela-Nummela who collected 91 hits beating favorites and trap world record holder Zuzana Stefecekova from Slovakia who only managed a disappointing 89 hits. Famous American shooter Corey Cogdell won a valuable bronze and she is also the youngest shooter among the six shooters vying for an Olympic 2008 medal. The Olympic shooting women’s skeet competition was won by Chiara Cainero of Italy. The sharp shooter from Italy scored 93 hits to set a new Olympic record in the shotgun skeet event. Kimberly Rhode of USA made it to the list of 2008 Beijing American silver medal winners while top German shooter Christine Brinker grab a well deserved bronze. Although disappointed by not winning the gold, the American shooter now has a complete set of Olympic medals as she had won gold in 2004 Athens Games and 1996 Atlanta Games, and bronze in 2000 Sydney Games. Missing out on a podium finish are favorites Danka Bartekova, the world record holder, from Slovakia and Diana Igaly, the defending skeet champion, from Hungary who had failed to qualify for the finals. The performance of the Russian shooters was quite dismay overall and it seems that the shooting team to watch in the 2012 London Olympics is the US Olympic shooting team. Young shooting talents seem to fill the Chinese and American shooting team.

* Travel Information To Top Destinations In Asia *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=922 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:15:59 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=922 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=921
Who is the women’s hockey gold winner in the Beijing Olympic Games? World champions, the Netherlands won the 2008 Olympic title after thrashing China 2-0. Although the popular Chinese Olympic hockey team did not win gold, there was reason to celebrate their achievements as this was their first hockey medal for the China hockey team in the Olympics. After an evenly fought and goalless first half, the Dutch shifted to a higher gear in the second half and managed to score two vital goals through Naomi van As and Maartje Goderie. The Chinese defended superbly but lack the necessary skills to beat the Dutch. The hockey Dutch 2008 Olympics gold medal winners are Marilyn Agliotti, Naomi van As, Minke Booij, Wieke Dijkstra, Miek van Geenhuizen, Maartje Goderie, Eva de Goede, Ellen Hoog, Fatima Moreira de Melo, Eefke Mulder, Maartje Paumen, Sophie Polkamp, Lisanne de Roever, Janneke Schopman, Minke Smabers and Lidewij Welten. The silver medal winners from China include Chen Qiuqi, Chen Zhaoxia, Cheng Hui, Fu Baorong, Gao Lihua, Huang Junxia, Li Hongxia, Li Shuang, Ma Yibo, Pan Fengzhen, Ren Ye, Song Qungling, Tang Chunling, Zhang Yimeng, Zhao Yudiao and Zhou Wanfeng. The women’s world number two hockey team, Argentina put on a spectacular display to overcome defending Olympic champion, Germany 3-1 to take home the 2008 Games bronze medal. The Argentinean goals were scored by Rosario Luchetti, Carla Rebecchi and Noel Barrionuevo while the German’s consolation goal was scored by Anke Kuehn. The bronze medalists for the women’s hockey 2008 Beijing Games are Magdalena Aicega, Luciana Aymar, Noel Barrionuevo, Claudia Burkart, Soledad Garcia, Alejandra Gulla, Maria de la Paz Hernandez, Gisele Kanevsky, Rosario Luchetti, Mercedes Margalot, Mariana Gonzalez Oliva, Carla Rebecchi, Mariana Rossi, Marine Russo, Belen Succi and Paola Vukojicic. Check out the hockey tournament’s classification match results and the 2008 Olympics final hockey standings. The fifth placing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic in hockey is Australia which downed the Great Britain hockey team 2-0 while Spain beat US hockey team 3-2 to grab the seventh spot. In the all Asian women’s hockey classification match for 9th and 10th place, the South Koreans beat the Olympics Japanese hockey team 2-1. New Zealand took the last spot after crashing 1-4 to South Africa.

* Asia Travel Guide For Asian Travel *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=921 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:42:49 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=921 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=920
The US women’s soccer team has managed to keep their football gold despite a poor start in the tournament. The defending champion and women’s football team from United States beat Brazil 1-0 in a close fought extra time football gold medal playoff in the 2008 Olympics. The deadlock was broken when famous US football player Carli Lloyd hit a powerful shot and left the Brazilian goalkeeper helplessly stranded on the ground. The Brazilians would have gone ahead if not for the heroic of the 2008 Beijing Games American goalkeeper Hope Solo who had made many important saves. The reigning FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, Brazilian star striker Marta was prevented from scoring many times due to superb saves by Hope Solo. The 2008 Beijing women’s gold medal winners from Team USA are Nicole Barnhart, Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, Lori Chalupny, Lauren Cheney, Stephanie Cox, Tobin Heath, Angela Hucles, Natasha Kai, Carli Lloyd, Kate Markgraf, Heather Mitts, Heather O'Reilly, Christie Rampone, Amy Rodriguez, Hope Solo, Lindsay Tarpley and Aly Wagner. The soccer 2008 Brazilian silver medalists are Andreia, Andreia Rosa, Barbara, Renata Costa, Cristiane, Daniela, Erika, Ester, Fabiana, Formiga, Francielle, Marta, Maurine, Maycon, Pretinha, Rosana, Simone and Tania. The Beijing 2008 Games Olympic women’s soccer bronze medal went to the football team from Germany. Germany’s substitute player, Fatmire Bajramaj came on to the pitch and scored two very crucial goals to help the Germans to become the 2008 Olympics bronze medalist in the women’s football competition. Striker Shinobu Ohno, set-piece specialist Aya Miyama and defender Kyoko Yano from Japan all had their chances to score for Japan but did not put their opportunities to good use. The German soccer team list in the 2008 Olympic Games is made up of Nadine Angerer, Fatmire Bajramaj, Saskia Bartusiak, Melanie Behringer, Linda Bresonik, Kerstin Garefrekes, Ariane Hingst, Ursula Holl, Annike Krahn, Simone Laudehr, Renate Lingor, Celia Okoyino da Mbabi, Anja Mittag, Babett Peter, Conny Pohlers, Birgit Prinz, Sandra Smisek and Kerstin Stegemann.

* Asian Vacation Travel Guide To Famous Asian Destinations *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=920 Sun, 14 Sep 2008 06:28:49 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=920 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=919
The coveted men’s basketball gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympic is won by the USA basketball team. The American basketball team that won gold in Beijing 2008 is made up of Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade and Deron Williams. The US men basketball team has not taken the Olympic title since the 2000 Sydney Games and this USA Dreamteam of the basketball competition has managed to restore order. The basketball players from Team USA beat Spain 118-107 in a closely fought final. The Spanish 2008 Beijing silver medalists in basketball include Jose Calderon, Rudy Fernandez, Jorge Garbajosa, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Carlos Jimenez, Raul Lopez, Alex Mumbru, Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes, Berni Rodriguez and Ricky Rubio. Rudy Fernandez top scored for Spain with 22 points. The Spanish really put up a tough resistance throughout the whole game and the American can only managed a 4 points lead with less than 3 minutes of play left. The Americans had thrashed Spain 119-82 in the preliminary round. Top scorers for the USA team in the final are Dwyane Wade who has 27 points while three-time NBA champion and league MVP, Kobe Bryant hit 20 points. The 2008 Olympic bronze was taken by the Argentina basketball team who defeated Lithuania. The Argentinean bronze medal winners are made up by Carlos Delfino, Manu Ginobili, Roman Gonzalez, Juan Pedro Gutierrez, Leonardo Gutierrez, Federico Kammerichs, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto, Pablo Prigioni, Paolo Quinteros and Luis Scola. The best play for Argentina in the 2008 Beijing basketball final is Carlos Delfino who collected 20 points and has 10 rebounds.

The US women’s basketball team has successfully defended their 2004 Athens gold by thrashing Australia 92-65. The 2008 Beijing basketball gold medal winners from Team USA are Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles, Kara Lawson, Lisa Leslie, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Candace Parker, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Smith, Diana Taurasi and Tina Thompson while the 2008 Olympics Australian medal winners in the women’s basketball are Suzy Batkovic, Tully Bevilaqua, Rohanee Cox, Hollie Grima, Kristi Harrower, Lauren Jackson, Erin Phillips, Emma Randall, Jennifer Screen, Belinda Snell, Laura Summerton and Penny Taylor. This is the fourth straight Olympic basketball gold for the USA women’s basketball team. Team USA has more or less already won the final in the first half when took a 17 points lead. Top scorers in the basketball Olympic 2008 final for Australia are Lauren Jackson and Belinda Snell with 20 and 15 point s respectively while Kara Lawson was the American highest point scorer with 15 points. There was extra celebrations for American star Lisa Leslie who won a fourth straight Olympic basketball gold medal. This is US women’s basketball 33rd consecutive wins and the last time they lost was in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The basketball 2008 Beijing bronze went to the women’s Russian basketball team who were made up of Svetlana Abrosimova, Becky Hammon, Marina Karpunina, Ilona Korstin, Marina Kuzina, Ekaterina Lisina, Irina Osipova, Oxana Rakhmatulina, Tatiana Shchegoleva, Irina Sokolvskaya, Maria Stepanova and Natalia Vodopyanova. Russia beat a spirited Chinese women’s basketball team 94-81. This is the second consecutive bronze medal in the Olympics for the women’s basketball team from Russia. Rebekka Linn Hammon, the famous U.S.-born WNBA star and U.S.-born naturalized Russian citizen, scored 22 points for Russia while scoring 15 points each were Marina Kappunina and Tatiana Shchegoleva. As for the women’s 2008 basketball team China, Chen Nan is the top sharp shooter with 26 points while an important 17 points were added by Bian Lan. The Chinese basketball players found it hard to contain the quicker and talented Russians. The basketball team from China shot a decent 55 percent and hit many open looks but did not defend well enough against the Russian attackers. However China’s Australian coach Tom Maher is satisfied that his team has managed to improve on their 9th spot placing in Athens four years ago.

* Comprehensive Guide To Travel To Asia *]]> China http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=919 Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:08:17 -0400 http://www.aguidetoasia.com/rss/index.php?itemid=919