INCHEON: Japanese swim star Kosuke Hagino gave another glimpse of his vast potential by winning two more Asian Games gold medals on Monday, while food safety came sharply into focus after the dangerous bacteria salmonella was found in athletes’ lunches.

South Korea’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry confirmed 76 lunchboxes had been ditched and said the bacteria had been discovered in checks at the supplier.

“We check dish by dish,” a ministry official said. “The lunches were never delivered to the athletes. The check-up was done before delivery.”

The salmonella scare is not the first hiccup of the 17th Asian Games but it is by far the most worrying and had the potential to cause athletes serious health problems.

China, who have finished top of the medal standings at the last eight Asian Games, finally pulled clear at the top of the table after being matched gold for gold by hosts South Korea on the first two days of competition.

The Chinese have won 26 golds ahead of South Korea’s 14, with Japan on 13 in third place. A total of 439 golds will be handed out in 36 sports at the Games, which close on Oct. 4.

Ri Jong Hwa gave North Korea their third weightlifting gold of the Games and left no one in any doubt who was responsible for her victory in the 58kg category.

“Through the guts and courage given by our leader Kim Jong Un, I believe I could absolutely win,” she said proudly.

North Korea’s Sol Kyong also showed plenty of guts and courage in the women’s judo 78kg final but her South Korean rival Jeong Gyeong-mi had just a little bit more.

“I thought about quitting so many times because training was so hard,” said Jeong. “Sol Kyong was the world champion last year and she is the one who I am afraid of most. I’m just relieved I didn’t get injured and won in the end.”

The South Korean women’s 25m pistol team also won gold, but after taking 12 over the first two days of competition Monday marked a significant speed bump in the hosts” race for their stated target of 90 gold medals.

The Ongnyeon International Shooting Range provided some early controversy when judges disqualified China from the women’s 10m air rifle team event, ruling that Zhang Binbin’s rifle had broken rules concerning maximum weight limits.

However, after the Chinese appealed, the decision was overturned and China’s trio were allowed to keep their gold medal — and the world record they set to get it.

Iran took silver behind China in the team event, but the colour of the medal was not to Elaheh Ahmadi’s liking.

“I’m not satisfied with the results,” she said. “This is because my shooting speed has become slower after I gave birth to my baby.”

Singapore’s sepaktakraw team were delighted to get a medal of any colour after Laos were disqualified for arriving too late for their semi-final match the previous night.

Laos explained that there was a mix-up with the schedule but under the strict rules of the competition they were ruled to have been a no-show, making them ineligible for the medals.

“We are not sure what was the main cause yet,” confessed Singapore captain Mohamad Amran.

Medals were earned, not gifted, at the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Centre where Japan took four golds to China’s two.

A day after his devastating late sprint took down Olympic champions Sun Yang and Park Tae-hwan in the 200m freestyle, Hagino was back in the pool and back on the podium, winning gold in the 200 individual medley and 4x200 relay.

Takeshi Matsuda, part of the relay team that finished almost 10 seconds ahead of nearest challengers China, predicted it was the start of great things for Japan.

“It used to be China who had the power in Asia,” he said. “But from here on it seems like it will be Japan who is going out onto the world stage.”

Also winning gold for Japan was Junya Koga in the 50 backstroke and Kanako Watanabe in the women’s 200 breaststroke, while China’s Shen Duo and Lu Ying answered in the women’s 100 freestyle and 50 butterfly

In other sports, China won the synchronised swimming team event, adding to their silver a day earlier in the duet, with Japan finishing second and North Korea earning the bronze. And China downed South Korea to win the women’s team title in badminton.

Olympic champion Lin Qingfeng earned China’s first weightlifting gold in the men’s 69kg, and China easily won the women’s team gymnastics competition.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2014