Mao and Wu on top in wushu

World No 1 Mao Yaqi of China is on course to claim Asian Games gold in wushu women's nanquan three event combined after top scoring in the second discipline - the nangun (southern style cudgel).

Mao scored 9.80 to consolidate the lead she established in the opening event, the southern-fist, in which she registered 9.84, to go into the final round with an overall score of 19.64 after two events.

Hong Kong, China's Angie Tsang, 2005 nangun world champion, stayed in touch with Mao after achieving the second best score of the round, 9.56, for an overall score of 18.89.

Diana Bong Siong Lin of Malaysia has moved into the bronze medal position with a combined total of 18.72 points, just 0.17 behind Tsang, but finished fourth in the day's event.

Japan's World No 3 Erika Kojima, who scored just 0.01 points less than Tsang to finish third in the cudgel, remains in the medal hunt with a combined total of 18.59. East Asian Games champion Huang Yanhui of Macau, China is also in contention alongside Huang Hsiao Chien of Chinese Taipei, who slipped from third to sixth after registering a relatively poor 9.00 points.

The final and deciding leg of the women's nanquan three event combined - the nandao (southern broadsword) - takes place on 14 December.

In the men's nanquan, 19 year-old Wu Caibao of China also maintained his lead by adding 9.80 in the second phase, the nandao, to the 9.82 he scored in the opening event, the southern-fist, for combined 19.62 after two of the three stages.

Korea's Lee Seung Kuen stays in the silver medal spot on 19.35 despite registering only the third best score of the nandao round, 9.63 points - 0.02 behind He Jing Kuen of Hong Kong, China who scored 9.67 and is in fourth place overall behind Vietnam's Pham Quoc Khanh, ranked World No 4.

The third and final leg of the men's nanquan three events combined, the nangun is on Thursday 14 December.

15th Asian Games, Doha 2006