Liu Xiang's coach appeared on a television network yesterday asking overzealous supporters to leave the Olympic champion alone.

Liu's gold medal in the 110m hurdles was one of 26 won by China's Mainland yesterday at the East Asian Games.

China's Mainland remain a runaway leader with 74 golds, with Japan in a distant second place with 10, one ahead of Republic of Korea (ROK).

The 22-year-old Liu defended his East Asian Games title in 13.21 seconds, beating teammate Shi Dongpeng (13.36) and Japan's Kota Kumamoto ( 13.89).

Liu became one of China's biggest celebrities when he tied the world record of 12.91 seconds and won the gold medal in the Athens Olympics last year.

Liu soon felt the weight of being famous.

"We are very grateful to our supporters," Liu's mentor Sun Haiping said on Macao's television TDM. "But overzealous fans disrupt his training and distract him from the ultimate goal: the 2008 Olympic Games."

"So, please, please let him do his job."

Spectators in the Macao Stadium looked on races indifferently until Liu showed up. Girls shrieked when the big screen flashed a shot of Liu taking off his trousers.

Liu cleared all the hurdles smoothly and slowed at the finish.

His winning times was 0.16 seconds off his top time this year and a further 0.08 behind this season's best 12.97 set by Frenchman Ladji Doucoure, who beat Liu into second place in the world championships.

Liu said he has fared well this season, during which he has competed in 18 meets.

"I didn't fall out of the top three in the international meets I entered and have won all the domestic races," he said.

China's Mainland also won nine athletics titles yesterday: men's 20m walk (Yu Chaohong, 1:23:51), high jump (Huang Haiqiang, 2.23m); women's 200m (Chen Lisha, 23.78 seconds), 400m hurdles (Huang Xiaoxiao, 55.33 seconds), pole vault (Zhao Yingying, 4.40m), 800m (Liu Qing, 2:00.11), discus (Song Aimin, 64.32m), 20km walk (Wang Liping, 1:34.01) and javelin (Ma Ning, 61.95m).

ROK's Kim Kun-woo took the gruelling decathlon with 7,754 points, while his compatriot Lee Jae-hun clocked 1: 48.60 for the men's 800m crown.

Japan nabbed three golds as Shinji Takahira stormed home first in 20.88 seconds in the men's 200m, Takayuki Koike won the men's 400m hurdles in 50.85 and Kumiko Ikeda leapt 6.54m for the women's long jump gold.

Japan expected a gold rush in the swimming pool, but the first day didn't see that happen.

Swimmers from China's Mainland won six golds, with Japan taking the remaining three.

Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan easily won the women's 50m backstroke in 31.67 seconds, one second ahead of runner-up Sayaka Nakamura from Japan.

Chinese Zhang Lin bettered the men's 1,500m freestyle Asian record by 9.25 seconds as he touched the pad first in 15:00.27.

China's Mainland also won the men's 4x200m relay, men's 100m breaststroke (Zeng Qiliang), women's 200m butterfly (Li Jie) and women's 100m freestyle (Pang Jiaying).

Japan's golds came from Yuta Shoji in the men's 200 individual medley, and Aya Terakawa and Tajanu Ugarasgu who finished joint first in the women's 200m backstroke.

Chinese Mainland dominated the final-day gymnastics competition by sweeping seven golds from the men's pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and women's uneven bars, balance and floor exercise.

Democratic People's Repubic of Korea (DPRK) picked up two golds with Macao, ROK and Chinese Taipei nabbing one apiece.

In shooting, Chinese Mainland nailed the women's rifle prone event (Shan Hong) and men's 25m rapid fire pistol (Zhang Penghui), with DPRK's Kim Jong-su pocketing men's 10m air pistol top honour.

Chinese Mainland female weightlifter Cao Lei lifted the women's 69kg-class gold and ROK's Lee Ung-jo topped the men's 94kg-division field.

(China Daily November 3, 2005)