Liu Rongbing eyes 4th gold at the Asian Gymnastics Championships

Chinese gymnast Liu Rongbing continued to impress at the fifth Asian artistic gymnastics championships here on Tuesday, claiming his third gold medal on the pommel horse. Liu, 21, who won the men's team and all-around titles on the opening day of the championships, put on a clean performance on the pommel horse to earn the highest score of 14.700 points. Teammate Zhou Shixiong was 0.100 points behind and had to settle for the silver. "Actually I did expect to win the pommel horse title. I think this is my best performance in recent four months," said Liu. Despite being the most decorated gymnast at the tournament so far, Liu said his debut at the Asian championships was not perfect, as he is targeting another title. "Wednesday's horizontal bar final would be a challenge for me," said Liu, who topped the qualification round after a poor landing cost favorite Lin Chaopan dearly. Lin, a Fujian native, is battling with waist and shoulder injuries. "I have to reduce my degree of difficulty to prevent my injuries from worsening. I'm happy with my routine today and looking forward to winning my first individual Asian title tomorrow," said the 17-year-old reigning junior Asian champion. Wu Liufang of China stepped on the top podium of the women's uneven bars with 15.200 points. Phan Thi Ha Thanh, who finished third at the last Asian championships four years ago, captured Vietnam's first-ever Asian vault gold with 14.700 points. DPR Korean veteran Ri Se Gwang won the men's rings on 15.450 points.