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Comic relief relaxes golden girl

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Rather than shiny medals, comic books are the most attractive prize for China's Xia Shiying, the youngest gold medal winner at the Guangzhou Asian Games.

After winning the 1000m, 500m and 250m straight race in women's dragon boat, 13-year-old Xia was more excited about earning prize money to buy her beloved comics.

"I just hand the three gold medals and most of the prize money to my parents - they will take care of it for me," said Xia. "But I'm allowed to take charge of a little of the money, which I will use to buy more comic books."

Xia was the drummer charged with harmonizing 20 rowers and the helmsman on one boat.

The day before her Nov 17 opening race on Zengcheng dragon boat lake, the teen showed up with teammates at the Athletes' Village post office. While the rest of the squad chatted with volunteers about which stamp albums to buy, Xia zeroed in on the nearby display of comic books.

While stamp collecting is also one of her interests, Xia said it's less fascinating than reading about the adventures of colorful comic book characters.

"Except for some clothes and daily necessities, her luggage is packed with comic books," said her teammate, Liu Jia.

Xia's hobby has a practical side, however.

"I brought a lot of books here," she told Asiad Daily. "There is no TV in our apartment at the Athletes' Village, and my teammates go out for fun in the evening. I prefer to stay in the room, because I enjoying reading comics to pass the time."

However, after drumming the team to the top of the podium three times, the little commander has had little spare time to pursue her hobby, thanks to the intense media interest in her gold medal haul.

Shy and nervous facing the media scrum, Xia nonetheless had a ready answer for each question.

Asked why she was selected as the drummer, she replied: "Because my weight is light".

Lu Changsong, coach of women's team, was impressed.

"Apart from her weight, Xia is a smart girl who has good insight and a quick response in the boat. She can adjust the rowers' rhythm by her drum tempo and alert the others when opponents are trying to catch up."

After two years' continuous training in dragon boat, Xia has developed into a competitive rower in canoe and kayak slalom.

"She has already obtained the basic qualities to be a successful rower in canoe and kayak slalom," said Hu Jianguo, head of the Chinese sports authority in charge of dragon boat.

"With scientific training and support, I believe she has huge potential to shine at a future Olympics."