Zhang Nan of China competes during the women's beam of Gymnastics Artistic at Doha Asiad, Qatar, Dec. 6, 2006. Zhang won the gold medal by a score of 16.300. (Xinhua Photo)

Chinese veteran Zhang Nan continued her impressive form on the beam to grab the balance-oriented title at the Asian Games here on Wednesday.

Zhang came up as the first performer to present the spectators a clean and stable routine, piling up 15.000 points and never surrendering her lead. She picked up a low difficulty routine of 6.0 and carried through each action with good balance and accuracy to win the less competitive title.

Her teammate Han Bing finished second for a landing mistake and a couple of sway on the beam with 14.925 points. Japan's Miki Uemura scored 14.725 points to settle for the third place.

Zhang performed with a calm exterior during her routine, confident in her execution of difficult acrobatic skills and leaps.

Zhang was the only gymnast to score above 16.000 during qualification, finishing 0.150 points ahead of Han, although her difficulty of 6.50 is lower than Han's 6.80.

Han is the silver medallist on the beam at the 2006 Asian Championships.

Zhang, 20, is an experienced competitor but has often finished just outside the medals in major events, which is no doubt frustrating for the talented gymnast.

She finished fourth on the beam at the 2005 and 2006 World Championships and 2005 East Asian Games. However, she has won many medals, including a gold in Guangzhou, China, during the 2005-06 World Cup season.

The beam can be a rewarding, yet punishing apparatus with gymnasts often struggling to stay on the narrow apparatus. In the competitive final, it's not a surprise to see several gymnasts falling as they give their all to challenge for medals.

China has long been considered the team to beat on the balance beam, proving its dominance at the Asian Games by recording the top five scores during the qualification, but only two gymnasts per team are allowed into any final.

Editor: Donald