COLOMBO, Aug 11: China’s Liu Xiang impressed by coasting to a comfortable win in the men’s 110 metres hurdles as his country bagged four golds on the third day of the Asian Athletics Championships.

The 19-year-old from Shanghai did not set any record but the ease with which he won at the Sugathadasa Stadium Sunday showed his potential.

Xiang, who set a continental record in a Grand Prix ‘B’ level meet at Lausanne last month, led from the start and was clear of the field by 95 metres.

Xiang eased up towards the end to finish with a timing of 13.56 seconds, which was way off his Asian record of 13.12 seconds and even outside the meet mark of 13.49.

China’s other three golds came in the women’s section, Wu Lingmei winning the triple jump at 13.83 metres after the country had clinched both gold and silver in the 20 km walk as well as the javelin throw.

Gao Kelian and Jian Zingli breezed to win the top two spots in the 20 km walk with the rest of the field way behind.

Kelian’s winning time of 1:36.57 was way off the continental mark of 1:26.22 in the name of another Chinese Wang Yan set at a meet in Guangzhou, China, last year.

It was a similar script in the women’s javelin, China winning the top two spots.

Ma Ning won with a throw of 57.15 metres on her second attempt whereas the silver was taken by her compatriot Xue Juan at 56.04 metres. China thus took their gold medal haul to eight, including the two each garnered on the first two days of the meet.

The middle-distance races did not touch any great heights but young Qatari Abdulrahman Suleiman showed his promise in a race led by his senior team-mate Yousuf Nor Jamal for most of the time.

Sunday’s results:

Men’s 110 metres hurdles: 1. Liu Xiang (Chn) 13.56 sec; 2. Mubarak Atta-Mubarak (KSA) 13.96; 3. Mohammad Faiz (Mas) 14.33.

Men’s 1500 metres: 1. Abdulrahman Suleiman (Qat) 3 min 45.98 sec; 2. Rashid Ramzi (Brn) 3:46.41; 3. Yousuf Nor Jamal (Qat) 3:46.85.

Women’s 100 metres hurdles: 1. Yuonne Kanazawa (Jpn) 13.40 sec; 2. Sriyani Kulawansa (Sri) 13.43; 3. Roberts Trecia (Tha) 13.60.

Women’s 1500 metres: 1. Tatyana Borisova (Kyr) 4:16.27; 2. Svetlana Lukasheva (Kaz) 4:18.63; 3. Mizuho Nasukawa (Jpn) 4:19.27.

Women’s 20-km walk: 1. Gao Kelian (Chn) 1 hr 36 min 57 sec; 2. Jian Zingli (Chn) 1:37.02; 3. Tadamasa Ryoko (Jpn) 1:42.43.

Women’s triple jump: 1. Wu Lingmei (Chn) 13.83 m; 2. Mariya Sokava (Uzb) 13.81; 3. Yelena Parfyonova (Kaz) 13.11.

Women’s javelin: 1. Ma Ning (Chn) 57.15 m; 2. Xue Juan (Chn) 56.04; 3. Lee Young-Sun (Kor) 53.72.—AFP