China forced to share golds

China had to share some of its gold medals and suffered a rare table tennis defeat at the Asian Games on Friday

. Meanwhile, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines joined the ranks of gold winners.

A 27-year-old mother from Uzbekistan beat the Chinese for one of the day's five gymnastics gold medals, a South Korean won another and China shared the other three - with a South Korean and two North Koreans.

In women's team table tennis, North Korea beat China 3-1 in the gold medal match. The Chinese had taken six of seven table tennis golds at the 1998 games, losing only men's singles.

Despite the setbacks, China still increased its overall lead by winning 13 events. It now has 71 gold medals - more than halfway to its target with 10 days remaining.

Thanks to another upset of Japanese favorites by Wu Peng, China won three swimming races. It took four golds in shooting, one in beach volleyball, one in wrestling and one in cycling.

South Korea narrowed the gap in what some consider the real contest of the Asian Games, for second behind China.

With its two gymnastics golds, two in wrestling, two in women's epee and men's saber team fencing and one in shooting, it had a total of 22.

Japan still enjoyed a slight edge with 24. It won two golds in swimming, one in beach volleyball and one in the team division of the equestrian three-day event.

Kazakstan weightlifter Sergey Filimonov broke a world record in the snatch in winning gold in the men's 77-kilogram division.

China's Li Hongli matched Filimonov's lift of 173 kilograms in the snatch but then missed all three tries at 197.5 in the clean and jerk. The two Asian lifters broke the mark of 172.5 set by Plamen Zhelyazkov of Bulgaria in March.

Kazakstan also won a shooting gold, lifting its total to six.

Malaysia ended its gold drought with two victories today, but missed another one it had counted on.

Wendy Chai and Sarah Yap won 2,589 to 2,558 against South Koreans Cha Mi-jung and Kim Soo-kyung in women's doubles bowling, and Asian champion Ong Beng Hee beat Pakistan's Mansoor Zaman 9-0, 9-7, 9-0 in men's squash.

But Malaysia's other Asian squash champion, Nicol David, lost 9-7, 9-5, 9-7 to Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu, whom she had beaten in the Asian championships in May.

Vietnam won its first gold in carom free ball (Partie Libre) billiards, with Tran Dinh Hoam beating compatriot Duong Hoang Anh 400-142.

The Philippines' first gold came from Rafael Nepomuceno and Rowen Jay Bautista winning men's doubles bowling, 2,714 to 2,670 over Japan's Isao Yamamoto and Seiji Watanabe.

In gymnastics, Uzbekistan's Oksana Chusovitina won the women's vault and said younger gymnasts can learn from her that age is not a barrier.