Asian Games Halfway: China Leads, Youth Emerges

At the halfway point of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, China has built a commanding lead atop the medal table — and a rising generation of young athletes is emerging as the story of the Games. According to Xinhua News, China led with 107 gold, 41 silver and 28 bronze medals as of the evening of Sept. 26, capturing nearly half of all golds awarded so far. Host Japan sits a distant second, with a total gold count just one more than China’s swimming team alone.

A Swimming Team for the Record Books

The Chinese swimming team closed its campaign with 30 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze — a record-best Asian Games performance. At the center of it stands Zhang Zhanshuo, 19, who won seven gold medals, tying the all-time Asian Games record for most individual golds at a single edition and becoming the Chinese athlete with the most golds ever at one Games.

Zhang competed in eight events; his four individual races all produced personal bests. He broke the Asian record in the 200m freestyle, set Games records in the 400m and 800m freestyle, and improved his 1500m personal best. His only miss came in the 100m freestyle, where a personal-best 48.23 seconds left him fourth.

“Right as I got out of the water, I counted my gold medals from 1 to 7 — I just wanted to show that I’d won seven golds,” Zhang said.

His signature came in the final legs. In the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, China trailed Japan by 1.89 seconds entering the anchor leg, swum by Zhang; he split 1:42.92 — 2.77 seconds faster than Japan’s anchor — to seal a comeback victory in 7:00.17 and an Asian record. Teammate Pan Zhanle called him “the miracle on the last leg.”

Zhang was measured about the achievement. “After seven golds I can’t be complacent — there’s still a gap between me and the world’s top swimmers,” he said. “My goal is the Olympics. See you in 2028.”

China also broke eight world records in shooting and weightlifting. Olympic champion Sheng Lihao won four golds and helped reset world records three times in the 10m air rifle events.

Youth Wave Across the Delegation

Young athletes are a defining theme. Of China’s 815 athletes, 548 are Asian Games debutants, and “post-2005” competitors make up nearly 30 percent of the delegation.

Yu Zidi, just 13, won three golds. Her 200m individual medley broke the Asian record and ranks as the second-best time in world history; her 400m IM ranks fifth all-time, and she set a Games record in the 200m butterfly. Chen Yujie, 17, ran 11.06 seconds to win the women’s 100m, breaking a 24-year-old Asian Games record. Shi Shengji, 19, won the men’s half-marathon race walk, defeating Japan’s world-record holder and delivering China’s 200th all-time Asian Games athletics gold.

Elsewhere, China’s women’s volleyball won the title — their “tenth crown” and a first major championship since the team was assembled in April of the prior year. The men’s football team reached the semifinals for the first time in 28 years, and badminton reclaimed the women’s team title after 12 years.

By the midpoint, China had won gold in 21 sports and disciplines — evidence, Xinhua noted, that the delegation’s strength is comprehensive rather than concentrated.

Cracks Beneath the Dominance

The review is notably candid about setbacks. Both men’s and women’s basketball failed to reach the final. The table tennis men’s team lost the gold, beaten 2-3 by Japan on Sept. 24 to miss a ninth consecutive title. Badminton’s men’s team and men’s singles fell short, and gymnastics lost the women’s individual all-around gold for the first time in Asian Games history.

Men’s table tennis head coach Wang Hao framed the loss as part of a generational transition. “At this stage we must give young athletes room to make mistakes, so they can accumulate experience in major competitions,” he said. “The team shares honor and disgrace. We lost this time, and we must turn a bad thing into a good thing.”

Table tennis legend Deng Yaping struck a similar tone. “Losing is normal; the Asian Games aren’t over,” she said. Xinhua cast these results as symptoms of a “generational handover period” — a deliberate framing that celebrates breadth while managing expectations ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Organizing Troubles and a Broader Stage

The competition has also been shadowed by organizational failures. Reports cited accommodation and transport problems, an athletes’ village partly housed on cruise ships, a wrong national anthem played pre-event and defective gold medals. A venue flooding cancelled a cricket match.

According to reporting citing Tokyo Sports, organizing committee secretary general Murate Satoshi apologized for the failures, saying the committee bore responsibility for providing quality service. He said services had “improved noticeably” from the start, though critics noted that smooth operations from day one should have been the norm.

Amid the disruption, Xinhua emphasized the athletes’ broader role. The Games featured a refugee team for the first time — two Syrian athletes living in Jordan, competing in taekwondo. “Their presence has broader significance,” said Vinod Kumar Tiwari, deputy director-general of the Olympic Council of Asia. “For people forced to leave their homes, sport can bring a sense of purpose, belonging, and hope.”

The Games also showcased veteran endurance: 51-year-old gymnast Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan, and 55-year-old Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, who helped win team skeet gold months after a Dakar Rally title.

What to Watch

With the second half of competition ahead, the focus will be on whether China converts its depth into medals in the sports where it has stumbled — and whether its young stars can sustain momentum toward Los Angeles. Regional rivals are rising at the youth level: Japan’s 17-year-old Ohashi Shin broke the men’s 200m breaststroke world record, and Thailand’s 20-year-old Bunsong ran 9.90 seconds in the 100m, the second-fastest time ever by an Asian sprinter.

China’s dominance at the midpoint is not in question. The question Xinhua itself raises — and leaves open — is whether a generation in transition can turn a commanding lead into lasting strength.