Chinese athletes continue to accumulate gold medals as they assert their dominance at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, their home turf.
Wu Shutong, a Chinese swimmer, won the gold medal in the 10-kilometer race at the Asian Games in HANGZHOU, China. She finished ahead of her Japanese competitor in a race that lasted over two hours. Notably, she accomplished this feat just a few days after turning 18.
She expressed skepticism towards the statement.
Wu trailed Airi Ebina of Japan and her Chinese teammate Sun Jiake for the majority of the race. However, Wu managed to increase her speed towards the end when Ebina began to struggle slightly.
“I cannot reword”
Wu completed the race in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 36.4 seconds, narrowly beating Ebina by 8.5 seconds and Sun by 21.5 seconds. Teng Yu-Wen from Taiwan finished in fourth place, over four minutes behind.
Wu expressed her gratitude for being able to commemorate her birthday at the Asian Games, as she recently turned 18 on Tuesday.
She expressed that participating in the Hangzhou Asian Games is her birthday present.
Ebina expressed a slight sense of disappointment, yet remained content with securing the silver medal.
“I had intended to be in the lead throughout the entire race and maintain my optimal performance,” she stated. “It is regrettable that I was unable to sustain it until the finish, but I am content with the outcome.”
The Asian Games will have 12,500 participants from 45 nations and territories, which is greater than the expected 10,500 participants from approximately 200 delegations at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Chinese athletes have consistently been the strongest competitors, and this year is no different, as they have already won over 340 medals by the 13th day of the 15-day event, with more than half of them being gold.
South Korea and Japan have been competing for the second position in the total number of medals, however, both countries have less than half of China’s total.
DRAGON BOAT
China’s female team won the gold medal in the 1,000-meter final of the well-known Dragon Boat races, while their male counterparts had to settle for silver as they were outperformed by a formidable Indonesian team.
The sport features a team of 12 paddlers in long, narrow boats decorated with Chinese dragon heads, who row to the beat of a drummer in the bow, with a steerer in the stern to guide the boat.
China’s men narrowly defeated Indonesia by a small margin to secure the gold medal in the 500-meter event on Thursday. However, in the 1,000-meter race on Friday, China’s men were narrowly defeated by Indonesia by a similarly small margin.
Chinese competitor Lv Luhui expressed that Indonesia possesses considerable strength.
The men from Myanmar won the bronze medal.
China’s team emerged victorious in the women’s race, securing a lead of almost four seconds. Indonesia claimed the second position, while South Korea settled for the bronze medal.
The earlier 500-meter and 200-meter races were won by the Chinese women, who also claimed the gold medal.
Coach Chen Zhong stated that the dragon boat spirit symbolizes the collective spirit of China, and our team has been diligently training for an extended period.
In contrast, Lee Hyeonjoo from South Korea mentioned that her team, which focuses on sprinting, had only dedicated 20 days to prepare for the longer race. She further expressed their satisfaction with achieving third place.
“She expressed her current state of happiness and mentioned that China is a formidable team, highly skilled. However, she acknowledged that our team lacked the same level of strength.”
CRICKET
Gulbadin Naib, the captain of Afghanistan, led his team to a surprising victory over Pakistan by four wickets, securing their spot in the cricket final against India.
The pre-tournament expectation of a gold medal showdown between cricket rivals India and Pakistan was on track when the Indians easily beat Bangladesh by nine wickets in the first of the semifinal matches. But Afghanistan ended any chance of that by chasing down Pakistan’s meagre total of 115 with more than two overs to spare.
Gulbadin, an experienced player who led Afghanistan’s team in the 2019 World Cup, scored two sixes and a four in the 18th over to remain undefeated with 26 runs from 19 deliveries, helping his team reach a total of 116-6.
KAYAK
Yekaterina Tarantseva, who is only sixteen years old, achieved the bronze medal in the women’s kayak event representing Kazakhstan.
She expressed that participating in the Asian Games had been an extraordinary and memorable journey, which had greatly boosted her self-assurance.
“I never thought this could occur, but I persevered until the very end,” she expressed. “All of my adversaries are older, and I was slightly apprehensive, but I persisted relentlessly.”
Chang Chu-Han, a 30-year-old from Taiwan, secured the gold medal while Li Lu, a 31-year-old from China, earned the silver medal.
Xie Yuancong from China secured the gold medal in the men’s canoe event, while Anvar Klevleev from Uzbekistan earned the silver medal and Alexandr Kulikov from Kazakhstan claimed the bronze medal.
