JINAN, East China, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Olympics hammer throw bronze medalist, Zhang Wenxiu, claimed the gold with only a slightly shorter distance from the Asian record at the 11th Chinese National Games Wednesday.

    The 23-year-old Zhang, from the Peoples Liberation Army delegation, secured the gold in the fifth round with 72.89 meters, as no other competitors pitched into the 70-meter range.

    She decided to challenge the Asian record, which was set by herself in the national championships in 2007, in the sixth round. However, her final throw stood at 74.25 meters -- 0.61 meters shorter to beat her own record.

    The world record is 77.96 meters.

    Hao Shuai from Liaoning finished second with 67.63 meters, and Wang Zheng from Shanxi the third with 64.61 meters.