China’s Asian Games medal haul hits 100 with 51 golds

Gold medalist China’s Yueyao during ceremonies at the wushu women’s Sanda 52kg division at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — China’s medal tally hit 100 in the middle of the fifth day of the 2018 Asian Games here, and more than half of them — 51 — gold.

At the same time, after 132 finals, Japan was in second spot with 20 gold medals and 73 overall. China didn’t feature in the road race but dominated in the rowing, winning six of the first eight finals.

The sequence of gold for China was broken initially only by Uzbek pair Shakhboz Kholmurzaev and Shakhboz Abdujabborov won the double sculls and the Vietnam crew of Ta Thanh Huyen, Luong Thi Thao, Ho Thi Ly and Pham Thi Thao in the lightweight women’s quadruple sculls.

Jacqueline Siu won Hong Kong’s first gold medal of the games with victory in the individual dressage competition at the Jakarta International Equestrian Park.

The England-based Siu and her horse, JC Fuerst On Tour, held off Malaysia’s Qabil Ambak and South Korean rider Kim Hye-ok.

It was her first medal in four trips to the Asian Games, her previous best being fourth-place finishes in 2006 and 2014.

Four of the six wushu gold medals in the sanda discipline went to China as well, with Iran collecting the other two via Erfan Ahangarian in the 60-kilogram division and Mohsen Mohammadseifi winning the 70-kilogram class.

Meanwhile, Alexey Lutsenko left it late in the road race before surging to the finish in a desperate four-way sprint to edge Fumiyuko Beppu for the gold.

Beppu held on to take silver for Japan, with Thai riders Liphongyu Navuti and Chawchiangkwang Peerapol finishing third and fourth.

Jang Kyung-gu, who won the road race on home soil at the 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, was 27 seconds behind the leading bunch in sixth place.

The Philippines is at no. 19th place with one gold and five bronze medals.