Asian Games: China Marks National Day with Gold Rush

Chinese athletes celebrated the 77th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Thursday by winning four gold medals at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as the country edged closer to its best-ever performance at an overseas edition of the Games. The day’s competition roundup, reported by Xinhua, framed the results as tributes to the “motherland” on its national holiday.

With 29 gold medals decided on Day 12 of competition, China added four gold, four silver and five bronze — 13 medals in total — bringing its tally to 155 gold, 71 silver and 64 bronze. The Beijing Youth Daily noted that China now needs just 11 more golds to surpass its record of 165 gold from Doha 2006, its best overseas Asian Games result, with roughly 100 gold medals still to be decided over the final three days.

Gold on Three Fronts

China’s golds on National Day came from three sports, with the climbing team sweeping both events available.

In sport climbing, Chu Shouhong won the men’s speed event with a blistering time of 4.71 seconds, while Zhang Yuetong took gold in the women’s bouldering final with a total score of 85.0. “To win this gold, the motherland gave me strength,” Chu said, holding up the Chinese flag in tears. Zhang said raising the flag and hearing the anthem on National Day “has special meaning for me.”

Zhong Qixin, head coach of China’s climbing speed team, called the wins a gift. “This is a gift from the Chinese climbing team to the motherland,” he said. “Climbing is an upward sport, and we climb upward for the motherland.” Both golds were China’s first-ever Asian Games titles in those disciplines.

Zhang Zhicheng added gold in the men’s single canoe slalom, and Liu Tian and Wen Zaiding defended China’s title in the men’s 49er sailing class. “All we can do is move forward step by step, believe in ourselves, our coach, and our country,” Wen said, describing the result as groundwork for the Los Angeles Olympics.

Tennis Guarantees a Sweep

On the tennis court, Wang Xiyu came back from a set down to upset top-seeded Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, setting up an all-Chinese final against 37-year-old Zhang Shuai, who beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva. The result guaranteed China both gold and silver in women’s singles and extended its run of consecutive Asian Games titles in the event to six.

“Celebrating with the nation through victory — this sense of pride is something the tour cannot give,” said Zhang Shuai, competing in her fourth Asian Games.

Elsewhere, China’s men’s volleyball team beat Thailand 3-0 to reach the semifinals, though the first two sets were hard-fought, ending 25-23. Head coach Vital Heynen said pre-match injuries had made the lineup uncertain, but that taking the first two sets swung the momentum. The women’s field hockey team also advanced to the final after beating Japan on penalties.

Grit, and a Costly Lesson

Not every story on Day 12 ended in gold. On the final day of shooting, China took silver in both the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol individual and team events. Su Lianbofan, a 21-year-old competing in his first Asian Games, lost the individual gold in a shoot-off, which he attributed to nerves. China’s shooting team finished the Games with 16 gold, 8 silver and 4 bronze across all 28 events.

As Xinhua’s feature coverage noted, the day reflected both triumph and determination. China’s diving team had extended a 52-year unbeaten streak the day before, reaching 100 all-time Asian Games diving golds, while Chen Yuanjiang, 20, reclaimed the men’s 110m hurdles title and the badminton women’s team won its first team crown in 12 years.

A Generation in Transition

A defining theme of China’s campaign has been the emergence of a new generation. Of the 815 Chinese athletes competing, 548 are first-time Asian Games participants, and nearly 30 percent were born after 2005.

Swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo, 19, has won seven golds — a new Chinese record for the most at a single Asian Games. Yan Ziyi, 18, won gold in the javelin on the home turf of Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi, and Chen Yujie, 17, was crowned Asia’s fastest woman with three golds and a silver on her debut.

From Chaser to Leader

China’s dominance in Aichi-Nagoya continues a decades-long arc. The country first appeared at the Asian Games in Tehran in 1974. At New Delhi 1982, in only its third appearance, China topped the medal table for the first time with 61 golds, overtaking Japan — and it has never relinquished the top spot since.

Holding the Games in Japan adds a symbolic layer to that history. The hosts have watched China grow from regional challenger to the continent’s dominant sporting power, a shift mirrored this week by a youthful squad winning on Japanese soil.

What’s Next

With three days of competition remaining and China’s lead atop the medal table unassailable, attention now turns to the record books. Surpassing the 165-gold mark from Doha would cement this as China’s strongest overseas Asian Games ever.

The Games close on October 4. Beyond the medals, Chinese officials and athletes have repeatedly pointed to the Los Angeles Olympics as the larger target — making Aichi-Nagoya a proving ground for the next generation tasked with carrying the flag forward.