Chinese Wang Chunli speaks to reporters after the women's cross-country skiing sprint free at the 6th Asian Winter Games in Jilin, a city in northeast China's Jilin Province, Jan. 30, 2007. Wang Chunli on Tuesday won the gold medal of the event. (Xinhua Photo/Zhao Zhongzhi) Photo Gallery>>>

    CHANGCHUN, Northeast China, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's rising skating star Wang Beixing grabbed the gold medal of the women's 500mx2 speed skating with an Asian record here on Tuesday at the sixth Asian Winter Games.

    Wang clocked in the Asian record of 38.02 seconds in the first race, and won by a two-race combined total of one minute and 16.10 seconds, a great challenge to the winning mark of 1:16.57 set up by Russian veteran Svetlana Zhurova in the Turin Olympics in 1996.

    "I am surprised," said Canadian Kevin Crockett, coach of Wang. "I knew she could win, but I didn't expect her to dominate."

    South Korea's Lee Sang-Hwa, 17, five-time World Cup winner this season and the champion in the Turin Winter Universiade, was beaten to the second in 76.95 seconds, followed by Zhang Shuang ofChina in 77.59 seconds.

    The 21-year-old Wang, seventh in the Turin Olympics, was among the first group of speed skaters from China to train in Calgary, Canada in 2003.

    "She has made amazing improvement since I coached her in 2003," said Crockett, a former Olympic bronze medalist.

    Wang has won one gold and five bronze medals in the 2006-2007 World Cup series.

    "She will be the world champion one day," said Crockett.