Hosts China claim first gold of Asian Games and win 20 of 31 titles on the first day of competition

HANGZHOU – Hosts China got off the mark quickly at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sunday, in a statement of intent on Day 1 of the continental multi-sport meet.

They claimed the first gold through rowers Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping, who dominated the women’s lightweight double sculls at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre to spark a medal rush for the home nation.

The hosts won 20 of the first 31 golds at the Games, with their rowers especially emphatic. This was also the sixth time in a row that China had grabbed the opening gold at the Asian Games, as Zou and Qiu finished in 7min 6.78sec.

Uzbekistan’s Luizakhon Islomova and Malika Tagmatova took silver in 7:16.49, with Indonesia’s Chelsea Corputty and Mutiara Rahma Putri, who won the bronze, just 1.15 seconds behind.

“I am very excited as it’s my Asian Games debut,” said Zou, a 21-year-old Zhejiang native, who added that they were satisfied with their performance, as they had prepared themselves for the unpredictable wind conditions. 

“We just kept rowing with or without wind, and wherever the wind blew. Today we did our best with every stroke,” she said.

Qiu, 23, had extra motivation as her parents watched her take part in a rowing competition for the first time.

“I saw my parents before the start and this is the first time they’ve come to see me compete in my 10-plus-years rowing career. Their support touched me deeply,” she said.

The duo, who qualified for the Paris Olympics after finishing sixth at the World Rowing Championships in Serbia earlier in September, have set their sights on putting in a creditable performance at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in 2024.

Qiu said: “The competition today brought me more confidence. But when I stepped down the podium, I was at a new starting point. I will work harder and be well prepared for the Olympics in Paris.”

The gold medals continued to flow for China on the rowing lake as the men’s lightweight double sculls gold was won by Fan Junjie and Sun Man.

They finished five seconds clear of India’s Arjun Lal Jat and Arvind Singh, with Uzbekistan’s Sobirjon Safaroliyev and Shakhzod Nurmatov a further five seconds behind.

Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists Zhang Liyang and Liu Zhiyu, who got back together in the men’s double sculls in 2023 after spending 2022 in the quadruple event, also contributed to China’s gold rush.

They won in 6:21.54, ahead of Uzbekistan’s Shakhboz Kholmurzaev and Mekhrojbek Mamatkulov (6:26.25) and Indonesia’s Ihram and Memo (6:27.83).

In all, the hosts won six of the seven golds in Sunday’s rowing events, with Hong Kong’s Lam San Tung and Wong Wai Chun getting in on the party by winning the men’s pairs.

More gold medals are expected for China on Monday, with the hosts represented by a strong cast, including the Tokyo Olympic champions in women’s quadruple sculls – Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lyu Yang and Cui Xiaotong.

They will be hoping to reign supreme in only the second time that the women’s quadruple sculls is on the Asiad schedule, with China also winning the gold in its sole appearance at Incheon 2014.

China topped the medal tally in the last 10 Asian Games and are almost certain to do so again on home soil. REUTERS, XINHUA