BUSAN, Oct. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korean veteran runner Lee Bong-ju clinched the last athletics gold at the Busan Asian Games, clocking two hours 14 minutes and four seconds in the men's marathon Monday afternoon.

　　Lee, 32, winner at the 1998 Bangkok Asiad, defended his title to please thousands of the screaming home spectators who had come to the Main Stadium for the closing ceremony in the evening.

　　This was the third athletics gold medal for South Korea, with the first two coming from women's javelin throw and men's high jump.

　　There is a saying on the Korean Peninsula that in sports arena men from the South and women from the North are very competitive. Lee said that "DPR Korean Ham Pong-sil took the first athletics gold for her country in the women's marathon yesterday. I feel some pressure as I must win today."

　　"I planned to keep myself in the pace-leading group. But I ran too fast to be followed by others. So I dashed out of the group atabout 20 kilometers and ran alone in the front," he said.

　　"It was quite difficult to ran alone. I was almost exhausted," he added.

　　"My wife came to watch my race. I did not know where she was but I knew she was watching me, which encouraged me a lot at the crucial moment," he said.

　　"My next aim is to achieve good results in next year's World Athletics Championships. And I will also fight for the Olympic gold in Athens," he noted.

　　Standing on the top of the awarding podium, Lee in Korean tradition costume snapped at the gold medal and smiled like a child.

　　Koji Shimizu from Japan took the silver in 2:17:47 and his compatriot Takei Ryuji got the bronze in 2:18:38.

　　Koji said that "I dreamed of taking the Asiad title, but it is smashed now."

　　"I did run quite well in the first half of the race, but failedto keep my form to the end," he added.

　　"I trailed the South Korean runner in such a long distance thatcouldn't be covered," he said.

　　The 45-gold athletics competition of the Busan Asiad has lowered the curtain with China on the top of the gold tally with 14 titles, followed by Saudi Arabia and India, both with seven. Enditem