MACAO, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Liu Xiang's coach pled on a television network on Wednesday, asking overzealous supporters to leave the Olympic champion alone.

   ; Liu's gold medal in the 110m hurdles was one of 26 won by Chinaon Wednesday at the East Asian Games (EAG).

    China remains a runaway leader with 74 golds, with Japan in a distant second place with 10, one over arch rival South Korea.

    The 22-year-old Liu defended his EAG title in 13.21 seconds, beating teammate Shi Dongpeng (13.36) and Japan's Kota Kumamoto (13.89).

The East Asian Games' brightest star Liu Xiang stormed home first at the men's 110m hurdles on Wednesday.

    Liu became one of China's biggest celebrities when he tied the world record of 12.91 seconds and won the gold medal in the Athens Olympics last year.

    Liu soon felt the weight of being famous.

    "We are very grateful to our supporters," Liu's mentor Sun Haiping said on Macao's television TDM. "But overzealous fans disrupt his training and distract him from the ultimate goal: the 2008 Olympic Games.

    "So, please, please let him do his job."

    Spectators in the Macao Stadium looked on races indifferently until Liu showed up. Girls shrieked when the big screen flashed a shot of Liu taking off his trousers.

    Liu cleared all the hurdles smoothly and slowed at the finish.

    His winning clocking was 0.16 seconds behind his top time this year and a further 0.08 behind this season's best 12.97 set by Frenchman Ladji Doucoure, who beat Liu into second place in the world championships.

    Liu said he fared well in this season, in which he competed in 18 meets.

    "I didn't fall out of the top three in the international meets I entered and has won all the domestic races," he said.

    China also won nine athletics titles on Wednesday: the men's 20m walk (Yu Chaohong, 1:23:51), high jump (Huang Haiqiang, 2.23m);the women's 200m (Chen Lisha, 23.78 seconds), 400m hurdles (Huang Xiaoxiao, 55.33 seconds), pole vault (Zhao Yingying, 4.40m), 800m (Liu Qing, 2:00.11), discus (Song Aimin, 64.32m), 20km walk (Wang Liping, 1:34.01) and javelin (Ma Ning, 61.95m).

    South Korean Kim Kun-woo took the grueling decathlon by totaling 7,754 points, while his compatriot Lee Jae-hun clocked 1:48.60 for the men's 800m crown.

    Japan nabbed three golds as Shinji Takahira stormed home first in 20.88 seconds in the men's 200m, Takayuki Koike won the men's 400m hurdles in 50.85 and Kumiko Ikeda leapt 6.54m for the women'slong jump gold.

    Japan expected a gold rush from the swimming pool, but the first day didn't see that happen.

    Chinese swimmers made it six out of eight with Japan taking there maining three golds.

    Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan easily won the women's 50m backstroke in 31.67 seconds, one second ahead of runner-up Sayaka Nakamura from Japan.

    Chinese Zhang Lin bettered the men's 1,500m freestyle Asian record by 9.25 seconds as he touched the pad first in 15:00.27.

    China also won the men's 4x200m relay, men's 100m breaststroke (Zeng Qiliang), women's 200m butterfly (Li Jie) and women's 100m freestyle (Pang Jiaying).

    Japan's golds came from Yuta Shoji in the men's 200 individual medley, and Aya Terakawa and Tajanu Ugarasgu who finished joint first in the women's 200m backstroke.

    China dominated the final-day gymnastics competition by sweeping seven golds from the men's pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and women's uneven bars, balance and floor exercise.

    DPR Korea picked two golds with Macao, South Korea and Chinese Taipei picking one apiece.

    In shooting, China nailed the women's rifle prone event (Shan Hong) and men's 25m rapid fire pistol (Zhang Penghui), with DPR Korean Kim Jong-su pocketing men's 10m air pistol top honor.

    China female weightlifter Cao Lei lifted the women's 69kg-class gold and South Korean Lee Ung-jo topped the men's 94kg-division field. Enditem