The Chinese women were disqualified for impeding after they finished third in the 3,000m short track speed skating relay final at the Turin Olympic Games Wednesday evening.

China skated in the third place when Wang Meng crossed the final line, but their result was disqualified immediately after the competition as the judges ruled that Wang had impeded the way of Canada. Thus Italy, who crossed the line last, were awarded the bronze medal.

"I did not notice what happened during the race and I will watch the video. I hope it was a fair play," Yang Yang (A), who won two gold medals in the Salt Lake City Games, said after the competition.

"We can not influence the judges, what we can do only is to hold ourselves up and train harder to be stronger," she added.

"We did have an impeding during the race and we respected the judges' decision," said Tong Lixin, manager of the Chinese team.

South Korea made it four golds in a row in the women's short track speed skating relay at the Winter Olympic.

"It was very difficult to be on the outside and everyone was pushing. There was nothing we could have changed," said China's FuTianyu, who handed over the last leg to Wang Meng.

"Everyone was too close but it's hard to say whose fault it was."

"I did not see the details in the race, but it was such an aggressive race and we had to go out and do aggressively," said Tania Vicent of Canada.

"I did moves and passes during the race. I don't know what happened there but I am sure our team is clean," said Anouk Leblanc-Boucher.

(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2006)