NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 4 — China delivered an outstanding performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and accomplished its mission of preparing for the Los Angeles Olympics, Zhang Xin, secretary-general of the Chinese delegation, said in a statement on Sunday.
China topped both the gold and the overall medal table for the 12th consecutive Asian Games, winning 169 golds, 89 silvers and 83 bronzes for a total of 341 medals, a record gold-medal haul for China at an Asian Games held outside China.
Zhang noted the delegation’s performance in Nagoya showed four main characteristics.
Zhang said China’s leading position in Asian sport was further consolidated. The delegation competed in 369 of the Games’ events across 38 sports and 59 disciplines, winning gold in 38 of those disciplines and medals in 47, despite fielding fewer athletes and entries than at the previous Games in Hangzhou and facing a reduced number of medal events to contest.
The quality of China’s results was also notable, Zhang said, with Chinese athletes breaking five world records, 11 Asian records and 22 Games records in sports with recognized records, including shooting, archery, athletics, swimming, weightlifting and track cycling.
“Winning performances in the women’s javelin and hammer throw matched the gold-medal standards set at the Paris Olympics, while China’s men’s 200m freestyle, men’s 4x100m medley relay and women’s 200m individual medley all produced the world’s best times so far this year,” it read.
China also made gains in sports where it has traditionally lagged, according to Zhang. Triathlon delivered the country’s best-ever Asian Games results across all three events, breaking Japan’s long-standing dominance of the sport in Asia. The equestrian team won its first-ever Asian Games gold in team dressage, while China reclaimed the road cycling title after a 20-year gap and the men’s individual modern pentathlon gold after 12 years.
Zhang stated that a new generation of Chinese athletes also emerged at the Games. Of the delegation’s 815 athletes, 548, or around two-thirds, were competing at their first Asian Games.
“17-year-old Chen Yujie became Asia’s youngest women’s 100m champion, while 18-year-old Yan Ziyi won javelin gold with a single throw. 14-year-old Yu Zidi claimed three swimming golds, each breaking an Asian or Games record, and 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo equaled the Games record for individual gold medals at a single edition with seven swimming titles,” he said.
Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, Zhang said the Nagoya Games had served its purpose.
“At this Asian Games, we have achieved our goals of testing our team, discovering new talent, identifying problems and conducting comprehensive training, further strengthening our confidence in achieving outstanding results at the Los Angeles Olympics,” he said.
“After the Nagoya Asian Games, we will immediately shift to preparations for the Los Angeles Olympics, accelerate efforts to address our weaknesses, comprehensively improve our competitive level, and go all out to meet the challenge of the Los Angeles Olympics,” Zhang added.(Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
