Wushu winner holding off on kung-fu flicks for now

The 22-year-old, who lists action stars Bruce Lee and Jet Li among his idols and has mentioned the idea of one day acting in a movie, won the changquan (chong-chu'yen) discipline in wushu today, the first of 476 gold medals on offer at the games.

"I feel very lucky to be able to compete for China's first gold medal ... very happy to get that first gold medal," said Yuan, who paid tribute to his coaches and conditioners. "To get this gold medal is the best way to repay them."

Yuan's coaches have guarded him from the local media, which has closely followed his chances of notching China's first gold at the Games in what is expected to be a record haul for the host country. Handlers had to hustle Yuan out of a news conference after he was mobbed by breathless reporters shouting questions.

It was the second Asian Games gold for Yuan, a two-time world champion who was heavily favored to win the event. He wowed judges with an energetic routine that involved jumping in the air with a kick, spinning around several times, then landing into a front split.

"Actually I haven't thought much about making kung-fu movies. I just want to focus on completing my training sessions and competing. That's my biggest goal right now," Yuan said after his win. "I think I can do even better and be more competitive."

Yuan finished with a score of 9.78. Daisuke Ichikizaki of Japan won silver with 9.72, while Ehsan Peyghambari of Iran took the bronze with 9.70.

Wushu refers to Chinese martial arts and changquan, which means "long fist," is a discipline that involves fully extended movements.