China Wins Women’s Team Gold at Asian Gymnastics Champs

ZUNYI, China — The Chinese women’s gymnastics team captured the team gold medal at the 13th Asian Gymnastics Championships on June 25, 2026, while teammates Ke Qinqin and Zhang Qingying swept the gold and silver medals in the women’s individual all-around competition. The championships, being held at the Zunyi Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Guizhou Province, mark the first time China has hosted the event since 2012, according to People’s Daily.

Team Victory Over Japan and South Korea

Competing in the 5-4-3 format — where five team members are selected, four compete on each apparatus, and the best three scores count — China posted a commanding total of 168.498 points to defeat Japan (163.496, silver) and South Korea (156.563, bronze). The Chinese roster featured Zhang Qingying, Ke Qinqin, Zhang Yihan, Du Siyu, and Qiu Qiyuan, all of whom had impressed at the National Gymnastics Championships in May.

According to a detailed report from China Sports Daily via the Chinese Olympic Committee, China began on vault — historically a weaker apparatus for the team — scoring 40.333 points and trailing Japan by just 1.033 points after the first rotation. Japan, led by two-time Olympian Sugihara Aiko and Paris 2024 team members Kishino Rina and Okamura Makoto, had started on uneven bars. However, China found its rhythm on the subsequent apparatuses, scoring 43.233 on uneven bars, 44.899 on balance beam, and 40.033 on floor exercise to pull away decisively.

Ke Qinqin and Zhang Qingying Shine in All-Around

In the individual all-around competition, Ke Qinqin delivered a remarkably consistent performance across all four events to claim gold with 56.299 points. Zhang Qingying took silver with 55.666 points, while Japan’s Nishiyama Misa — described as the nation’s “new generation ace” — secured bronze with 54.799 points.

Both Chinese gymnasts also qualified for multiple apparatus finals. Du Siyu ranked fifth for vault and tied with Ke Qinqin for the top two spots on uneven bars. Zhang Qingying and Ke Qinqin advanced as the top two qualifiers for balance beam, while Zhang Yihan and Zhang Qingying qualified first and fourth, respectively, for floor exercise, as reported by Xinhua News Agency via Guangming Daily.

Coach Liu Tao: ‘Steady Progress’ the Strategy

Chinese women’s team head coach Liu Tao expressed elation after the victory. “We are especially happy that the entire Chinese team worked together in unison today to win the team gold!” he said, according to Xinhua. Looking ahead to the remainder of the championships, Liu outlined a cautious but ambitious approach: “The core strategy for the upcoming competitions is to seek progress while maintaining stability. On the basis of ensuring movement completion stability and athlete safety, we will continuously optimize movement quality and gradually challenge higher difficulty scores.”

Chusovitina: A Living Legend Competes On

The championships also featured a remarkable appearance from 51-year-old Uzbek gymnastics legend Oksana Chusovitina, the oldest active gymnast in the world. Competing in her record-extending Asian Championships, Chusovitina scored 13.099 on vault and advanced to the event finals, drawing warm applause from the Zunyi crowd. Her career has spanned decades, representing the Soviet Union, Germany, and Uzbekistan.

Significance and What’s Next

The 13th Asian Gymnastics Championships, running concurrently with the 19th Asian Junior Gymnastics Championships, serve as a qualifying event for both the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, according to Wikipedia. The women’s individual event finals are scheduled for June 27-28, offering Chinese gymnasts further opportunities to add to their medal tally.

China’s dominant performance — overcoming an early deficit to Japan and sweeping the all-around podium positions — signals the depth and resilience of the squad as it builds momentum toward the World Championships and Asian Games later this year. With Ke Qinqin emerging as a new all-around star and veterans providing steady leadership, Chinese women’s gymnastics appears well-positioned for the challenges ahead.

The men’s competition, held June 18-21, saw China’s senior team win four gold and four silver medals, with star gymnast Zhang Boheng leading the charge across multiple events. In the combined senior and junior medal table, China leads with 16 total medals (6 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze), closely followed by Japan with 12 medals (6 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze).