Thailand put a dent in China's Asian Games armour on Monday, snatching a weightlifting gold and a world record, to end the Chinese monopoly of the sport in Doha.
Elsewhere, however, the Chinese behemoth rumbled on, amassing medals to stretch further into the lead at the December 1-15 sporting spectacle. With 34, China has won more than half the 60 golds awarded so far. The next most successful nation is Japan with eight. South Korea lie third on five golds, with Kazakhstan a surprise fourth with four - three on the shooting range and one in the pool.
Pawina Thongsuk's 142kg clean and jerk ended Thailand's 40-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting gold and made her the first non-Chinese to win a title in the three days at the Al-Dana banqueting hall.
"I've been at the Asian Games three times and this is my first gold medal so I'm very pleased," said Pawina, who completed a set of Olympic, world championships, Asian championships, Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games gold medals.
At Sport City, badminton's most heated rivalry hit the courts again when world number one Lin Dan and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat clashed for the second time in three days. In another intense battle, Hidayat, who was docked ranking points and prize money after storming out mid-match against Lin in August, again lost to his Chinese rival in the men's team semi-final.
There were no histrionics this time, just breathtaking badminton, with Lin winning 22-20 13-21 21-12.
China and Kazakhstan each grabbed two more golds at the range, giving the Chinese 12 of the 18 titles up for grabs so far, with four days left in the competition.
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