Nation tops Asian Games table for 12th time

China retained the top spot for a record 12th consecutive time as the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games drew to a close on Sunday, creating another record with the number of gold medals won and introducing to the world a new generation of promising Chinese athletes.

The Chinese competitors won 169 gold, 89 silver and 83 bronze medals, a total haul of 341 medals, surpassing the previous record of 165 golds won in an overseas Asian Games set in 2006 at Doha, Qatar. Japan finished second with 83 golds, followed by the Republic of Korea with 39.

Beyond the medal haul, the Games also provided a platform for a new generation of sporting talents. China's 13-year-old swimming sensation Yu Zidi was named the Most Valuable Player among females, while Thailand's 20-year-old sprinter Puripol Boonson won in the men's category.

Yu won gold in all three of her individual events, setting Games records in each, including an Asian record. Boonson completed a sprint double, winning the men's 100m in a Games record of 9.90 seconds and the 200m in 19.88, equaling the Asian record.

"Tonight, we close a Games that will shape the next generation of Asian sport," Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani said in his closing ceremony speech.

Athletes set 54 world records and 89 Asian records during the Games, OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam said.

He said the Games had continued to unite Asia through sport despite conflicts and economic instability around the world. "Asia is united in sport, in peace and in solidarity," he said. "This is our aim."

For China, the performance of its young athletes was a notable feature. Of the delegation's 815 athletes, 548 were competing in an Asian Games for the first time. Among them, 17-year-old sprinter Chen Yujie set a Games record in the women's 100m, while 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo became the first swimmer in Asian Games history to win seven gold medals at a single edition.

Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, Zhang Xin, secretary-general of the Chinese delegation, said: "Following the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, we will immediately turn to preparations for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, moving faster to address our shortcomings, shore up weak areas and improve our overall competitive level."

The Asian Games program expanded from 40 sports in Hangzhou to 43 in Aichi-Nagoya, with several new sports and events making their debut, including mixed martial arts, padel, surfing and teqball, while several sports, including chess, bridge and dragon boat racing, were dropped.

China also made gains beyond its traditional strengths, winning gold in climbing's individual speed events, BMX freestyle and esports. Yang Siqi won silver in women's shortboard surfing, China's first Asian Games medal in the sport.

With the Asian Games flag passed to Qatar at the closing ceremony, attention now turns to Doha, which will host the 2030 edition, 24 years after the Qatari capital staged the Games in 2006.