China dominate at Asian championships, Liu advances to final

GUANGZHOU, South China, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- China dominated the second day's competition of the 18th Asian championships as they won six out of 11 gold medals on offer here on Wednesday, while Liu Xiang easily advanced to the men's 110 meters hurdles final.

Liu, the Athens Olympic champion, who won the Chinese National Games in 13.34 seconds last month, took the lead from the start and finished first in the preliminary in 13.82 on Wednesday morning.

The result was good enough for the former world champion to qualify for the final, but far off his former world record and personal best of 12.88 and 13.15 in September's Shanghai Golden Grand Prix.

"I was a little worried before the race," said Sun Haiping, coach of Liu. "Because anything could happen during the race."

"The result was OK," he said. "Liu's form is good, and if someone clocks 13.60 in the final, he will finish within 13.40."

After winning two gold medals on Tuesday, Chinese athletes continued their gold run on Wednesday.

Liu Xiaosheng surprised many to claim the men's 400 meter title with a last-gasp dash in 46.55, beating Japanese Kanemaru Yuza, winner of the event at 2005 Asian championships, by 0.5 seconds.

Liu Xiaosheng, winner of the event at 2008 Asian indoor track and field championships, was lurking behind the Japanese until the last 50m and overtook him at the finish line.

Ismail Mohammed Alsibyani of Saudi Arabia took the bronze in 46.84.

"I knew the Japanese rivals were quite strong, and actually we made a plan about that before the race," said Liu, 21. "I had competed with Japanese runners many times and I learned a lot from them. I really wanted to beat them."

In the women's 100m hurdles final, Sun Yawei delighted the home crowd to win the gold.

Sun established an early lead to clock 13.19, beating silver medallist Terada Asuka of Japan by only 0.1 second. Dedeh Erawati of Indonesia took the bronze in 13.32.

Chinese teenager Zhou Haiyan clinched the gold medal in the women's 1500 meters final in 4:32.42, while her compatriot, Liu Fang took the silver with 4:33.35. The bronze went to Truong Thanh Hang of Vietnam in 4:33.46.

Chinese Liu Feiliang breaks Japan's domination in men's pole vault as he won his first major title with 5.60 meters. Yang Quan grabbed the silver with 5.45m, while the two-time champion Daichi Sawano of Japan put on a below-par performance to finished third.

In the women's hammer throw, Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Zhang Wenxiu garnered the gold medal in 72.07m.

Zhang's compatriot Hao Shuai was second with 65.87m. Japan's Yuka Murofushi, bronze medallist of last Asian championships, placed third at 61.99m.

In the men's 100m, Zhang Peimeng clinched the gold in 10.28, beating Japanese Tsukahara Naoki by 0.04 seconds. Guo Fan from China took the bronze in 10.37.

Japan pocketed two gold medals on Wednesday as Tanno Asami and Chisato Fukushima claimed the women's 400m and 100m gold respectively.

Tanno, silver medallist of the event at 2007 Asian championships and bronze medallist at Doha Asian Games, clocked 53.32 seconds to win the race.

Chinese Chen Lin took the silver with 53.55, while Manjeet Kaur finished third in 53.66.

In the women's 100m final, Chisato Fukushima of Japan claimed the gold in 11.27, beating Vu Thi Huong from Vienam by 0.23 seconds. Manjunath Jyothi Hiriyur gave India a bronze in 11.60.

India claimed their first gold here by Om Prakash Singh Karhana, who won the men's shot put in 19.87 meters, while Saudi Arabia also tasted the gold as defending champion Mohammed Othman H Shaween won the men's 1500m in 3:46:08.

Asian record holder Olga Rypakova captured Kazakhstan's first gold from the women's triple jump in 14.53m.

Thursday will produce seven more gold medals, and China's superstar Liu Xiang will attract most attention in his 110m hurdles final.