She failed to defend the Asiad champion, but she won the respect from the spectators and the athletes.

Thirty four-year-old Asiad defending champion Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan clocked a seasonal best 11.34 seconds to claim silver from women's 100m race at Guangzhou Asiad on Monday, only 0.01 second shy of Japan's Chisato Fukushima, who was 12 years younger than her.

"I didn't think too much about the age," said Khubbieva. "I was never far away from my sport, and I think time has awarded me more experience than most of my competitors."

Khubbieva jumped into fame in 2002, when she picked up her first Asiad medal on women's 4X100m relay event at Busan Asian Games. She reached her peak form in 2006 by winning one gold and one silver at Doha Asiad.

The Guangzhou performance awarded her the fourth medal at Asian Games, but the veteran was expecting more.

"There is still passion in me," said she. "I don't feel it's already time for my retirement, and I can still produce forces and stage great performances."

"I'm sure I will be competing in the future."

Chisato Fukushima snatched the gold with 11.33 seconds, and Vietnam sprinter Vu Thi Huong made 11.43 to take the bronze.

Khubbieva would also participate in women's 200m event later. She was the silver medalist of this event four years ago.

(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2010)