MACAU, Oct 30: China looked unbeatable after just one full day of the East Asian Games on Sunday, snapping up three-quarters of the gold medals available and smashing a 24-year-old weightlifting record along the way.

China, who brought a bumper squad in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finished the day with 21 of a possible 27 golds, way ahead of hosts Macau who grabbed six in dragon-boating and Chinese martial art wushu.

Yang Lian starred for the Chinese, breaking compatriot Li Zhuo’s 1981 record in the women’s 48kg weightlifting section with a clean-and-jerk of 117kg. Along with a 90kg snatch, her 207kg total equalled the Asian record.

China, which finished second to the United States in the Athens Olympics and wants to go one better in 2008, swept the board in the day’s weightlifting and diving and already looked a good bet to reach their goal of 100-plus medals.

China have topped the medals table at each of the three previous East Asian Games.

Double Olympic champion Guo Jingjing led the way in the pool, easing her way to victory in the unfamiliar 1m springboard. Luo Yutong won the men’s 3m while Chang Jing and Wang Liang took the men’s 10m synchronised platform.

The much-photographed Guo, who has been mobbed by an unruly press pack at every appearance here, said the toughest thing about the Games was dealing with the media attention.

The dearth of serious competition for Guo was highlighted by the sixth-place finish of Macau’s 11-year-old Lei Sioi.

Nine countries and territories, including tiny Guam and dark horses Mongolia and North Korea, are competing in the 17-sport Games which run until November 6.

Macau’s Hang Yanhui made a name for herself by taking the Games’ first gold in the women’s nanquan category of the wushu.

Macau also impressed in dragon-boating, winning a medal in all eight events including three golds. Dragon-boating and wushu, along with ballroom-dancing, soft tennis and bowling, are the more unusual events here.

Results:

Diving

Men’s: 3m springboard: 1. Luo Yutong (CHN) 513.36 pts - gold medal; 2. Pan Zhaowei (CHN) 511.20 - silver, 3. Ken Terauchi (JPN) 478.08 - bronze

Men’s: 10m synchronised platform: 1. Chang Jin/Wang Liang (CHN) 371.28 - gold, 2. Kim Chon-man/Ri Jong-nam (PRK) 335.94 - silver, 3. Son Seng-chel/Kim Jin-yong (KOR) 325.08 - bronze

Women’s: 1m springboard: 1. Guo Jingjing (CHN) 319.59 - gold medal, 2. Ma Qianli (CHN) 295.74 - silver, 3. Nishii Ryoko (JPN) 292.53 - bronze

Weightlifting

Women’s: 48kg: 1. Yang Lian (CHN) 207kg (equals Asian record) - gold, 2. Hiromi Miyake (JPN) 191 - silver, 3. Choe Un-sim (PRK) 189 - bronze

Men’s: 56kg: 1. Lu Yinbi (CHN) 279 - gold, 2. Yang Chin-yi (TPE) 276 - silver, 3. Ri Kyong-sok (PRK) 275 - bronze

Men’s: 62kg: 1. Zhang Xiangxiang (CHN) 304 - gold, 2. Wang Shinyuan (TPE) 299 - silver, 3. Im Yongsu (PRK) 296 - bronze

Gymnastics

Men’s team: 1. China - 227.846 - gold, 2. Japan - 222.558 - silver, 3. South Korea - 220.972 - bronze

Wushu

Women’s nanquan: 1. Huang Yanhui (MAC) - gold medal, 2. Erika Kojima (JPN) - silver, 3. Chen Shao-chi (TPE) - bronze

Women’s taijiquan: 1. Cui Wenjuan (CHN) - gold, 2. Fan Man-yun (TPE) - silver, 3. Ai Miyaoka (JPN) - bronze

Women’s jianshu and qiangshu all-round: 1. Chen Min (CHN) - gold, 2. Han Jing (MAC) - silver, 3. Chen Shao-chi (TPE) - bronze

Women’s sanshou: 48kg: Gold - Liu Na (CHN), 52kg: Gold - Zhang Xiaoyan (CHN)

Men’s changquan: 1. Jia Rui (MAC) - gold, 2. Fui Yonemoto (JPN) - silver, 3. Yuan Xiaochao (CHN) - bronze

Men’s nandao and nangun all-round: 1. Song Lin (CHN) - gold, 2. Peng Wei-chua (TPE) - silver, 3. Leong Hongman (MAC) - bronze

Men’s sanshou: 52kg: Gold - Kang Yonggang (CHN), 56kg: Gold - Yu Feibao (CHN), 60kg, Gold - Qin Zhijian (MAC), 65kg: Gold - Zhao Guangyong (CHN), 70kg: Gold - Hu Jianqing (CHN)

Dragon-boating

Men: 250m small - Macau, 500m small - Macau, 250m standard - China, 500m standard - China

Women: 250 small - Macau, 500m small - China, 250m standard - China, 500m standard - China,—AFP