by sportswriter Li Jia
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) — China captured two sport climbing gold medals and secured an all-Chinese ladies’s tennis closing on the 2026 Asian Games on Thursday.
In the lads’s pace climbing closing, China’s Chu Shouhong scaled the wall in 4.714 seconds to assert gold, whereas Zhang Yuetong edged residence favourite Ai Mori to win the ladies’s boulder title.
Mori, who competed on the 2024 Paris Olympics, scored 84.8 factors to Zhang’s 85.0 at Portmesse Nagoya. South Korea’s Seo Chae-hyun completed third.
“I feel that the strength given to me by my country helped me win this gold medal. Winning it on such a special day as China’s National Day makes it especially meaningful to me,” Chu mentioned.
In tennis, top-seeded Philippine star Alexandra Eala noticed her bid for gold finish within the semifinals as China’s world No. 85 Wang Xiyu fought again for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Eala, the world No. 18 and the primary participant from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title, was searching for to turn out to be the primary Philippine lady to win the Asian Games singles crown. The 21-year-old as an alternative took bronze, having additionally been eradicated from the ladies’s doubles competitors earlier within the Games.
Wang, who trailed 5-0 within the first set, mentioned she took inspiration from compatriot and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
“I told myself to keep believing in myself, trusting that I can turn things around,” Wang mentioned. “I thought of how Zheng was able to come back from 0-5 down at the US Open recently. I wanted to replicate that.”
Wang will face compatriot Zhang Shuai for the title after the 37-year-old defeated second-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2.
Zhang, competing in her fourth Asian Games, repeatedly gained the higher hand in lengthy baseline exchanges to safe her place within the closing.
Following the match, Zhang spoke of the importance of representing China on National Day.
“Although tennis is a professional sport … there is a different sense of pride that you don’t get from tournaments on the tour,” she mentioned. “As long as you have a dream and keep a young heart, it’s never too late.”
China additionally added gold medals in canoe slalom and crusing.
In the lads’s canoe single (C1) closing, Zhang Zhicheng maintained his robust type from the preliminaries, finishing the course with out penalties in 98.09 seconds to win gold.
In crusing, China’s Liu Tian and Wen Zaiding efficiently defended their Asian Games title within the males’s 49er class.
China’s males’s volleyball staff superior to the semifinals with a 3-0 victory over Thailand, whereas the lads’s hockey staff defeated Bangladesh 7-1 to arrange a fifth-place playoff in opposition to Japan on Saturday.
In seashore volleyball, Xia Xinyi remained heading in the right direction for a fourth consecutive Asian Games title after she and companion Yan Xu reached the ladies’s closing.
On the lads’s facet, Qatar’s Cherif Samba and Ahmed Janko additionally superior to the ultimate as they search a 3rd consecutive Asian Games title.
The taking pictures competitors concluded with South Korea profitable each the lads’s 25m fast fireplace pistol staff and particular person occasions. China completed atop the taking pictures gold medal desk with 16 titles, whereas India and South Korea gained three every.
Host Japan dominated Thursday’s judo competitors, profitable three of the 5 gold medals on provide. South Korea’s Huh Mimi, who was born and raised in Japan, additionally took gold, whereas China’s Tao Yuying and Zhang Wen completed seventh within the ladies’s 57kg and 63kg divisions, respectively.
After 12 days of competitors, China leads the medal desk with 154 gold, 71 silver and 63 bronze medals. Japan is second with 59 gold, 79 silver and 79 bronze, adopted by South Korea with 30 gold, 30 silver and 53 bronze.