Defending the nation's honor: China retains esports title at Asian Games

China successfully defended its Asian Games esports title in Honor of Kings on Monday, sweeping Malaysia 4-0 in the final at Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya.

The Chinese lineup of Xu Bicheng, Huang Yaoqin, Meng Jiajun, He Weijia, Wang Ke and Zhao Haoyu overcame some early pressure to secure the gold medal. Xu, known by his gaming ID "Yinuo", became the first esports athlete to win two Asian Games gold medals playing Honor of Kings.

"People may feel it was a hard match, but we have been through a great deal against Malaysia," China coach Li Tuo said after the final.

The result was the culmination of a month of preparation for a team assembled from different clubs. Li said the players initially had good personal relationships, but had yet to develop the chemistry needed to function as a team.