Japan’s Kosuke Hagino won his fourth swimming gold but China ruled the pool as they shot out to a big lead on the medals table at the Asian Games Thursday.

Hagino, 20, put in a strong final freestyle leg to add the 400 metres medley to his 200m medley, 200m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle titles in Incheon.

“That was hard work, I felt like I could be in a bit of bother,” Hagino told reporters. “I didn’t expect to feel that tired but I kept it together somehow. Obviously the freestyle (leg) did bail me out.”

But the night belonged as much to China, who rounded off another dominant day of competition with four swimming golds including the women’s 200m freestyle and butterfly.

Shen Duo won the freestyle race, Jiao Liuyang topped the butterfly and Fu Yuanhui took the 100m backstroke before China’s men combined for a 4x100m freestyle win over Japan.

It left China on 57 gold medals near the end of day five, well ahead of South Korea on 26 and on their way to topping the table for the ninth straight Asian Games.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist survived a couple of slight early stumbles to score 15.533 with the most difficult routine attempted on the night.

Hagino said he's using the Asian Games as a building block for the Olympics in 2016 and 2020, when they land in Tokyo.

``That's why I'm challenging multiple swims. My goal is to continue to swim well in all events and get good results, and I hope to win many medals in the 2020 Games,'' the 20-year-old Hagino said. He's entered six individual events at Incheon. 

(AFP and AP)