Gold medalist Zou Shiming(L2) of China reacts on the podium at the awarding ceremony of Men's Light Fly(48kg) of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games boxing event at Workers' Gymnasium in Beijing, China, Aug. 24, 2008.(Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- "I feel dizzy right now, and I also feel happy and proud," said Chinese light flyweight (48kg) Zou Shiming, who just won China's first boxing gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, also China's 50th gold medalin the Games.

    Zou enjoyed an easy fight against Serdamba Purevdorj with a score of 1-0 as the Mongolian who suffered an injured shoulder, withdrew from the competition at the second round, when the fight only lasted 2 minutes and twenty seconds.

    Zou, a two-time world champion, got off to a barnstorming start when he pulverised the Mongolian with a sudden burst of uppercuts in the opening round.

    The Chinese, who won the first Olympic boxing medal for China at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games claiming the bronze, was ferocious in the second round as he came up with all sorts of brutal punches, thrashing Purevdorj at will.

    With a minute and 41 seconds left of the second round, the Mongolian coach threw in the towel to save an injured Purevdorj from further punishment.

    The Mongolian got his shoulder injury in this March, and suffered a recrudescence during the semifinals. At the final fight, he could barely lift his arm to launch attacks.

    "During the (Friday semifinal) match with the Cuban (Yampier Hernandez), my shoulder was not good," said Purevjdorj: "The injury continued from then, so when I was fighting today I felt a lot of pain in my shoulder and I decided not to force myself."

    After the easy victory, Zou, wrapping the Chinese national flag, ran around the inner arena in ecstasy among the deafening cheering from the fully-packed audience.

    The short finish of the competition even made Zou surprised, who has been well-prepared for this fight for years. "I surely feel happy, but also a bit regretful," Zou told Xinhua: "as I have been preparing for the fight for years and has sacrificed so much in the training, so I wanted to offer a brilliant show to the audience. I didn't expect the show to end so quickly."

    "However, the gold medal is the most important thing," said the proud champion: "The Chinese boxing team has been paying great efforts for years now it's the time to blossom."

    "Now I can show the Chinese power to the whole world," he added.

    Zou, wrapped in a Chinese national flag and wore his famous golden boxing boots, cried on the podium when the national anthem was in the air. "I did not cry four years ago when I got a bronze medal," he said: "I told myself, when you get the gold, you can cry."

    "I cried for the all hard training in the last ten years and for people who love me," he said.

    Mongolian Purevjdorj got the silver medal. Irish Paddy Barnes and Cuban Yampier Hernandez shared the bronze medals.

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