China finishes home Asian Games with record 201 golds

Gold medalists China celebrate on the podium after competing in the team free artistic swimming event during the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on October 8, 2023. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Host China finished top of the Asian Games medals table with a record 201 golds, as Taiwan’s Gu Shiau-shuang won the final event in Hangzhou on Sunday

Gu triumphed in the women’s karate -50kg kumite class, beating Kazakhstan’s Moldir Zhangbyrbay in the gold medal match by “Hantei” after a tight battle finished 5-5.

Earlier, Japan beat Macau to take the men’s team kata gold as the final karate competitions brought the curtain down on more than two weeks of action by 12,000 athletes in 40 sports.

China, who surpassed the 199 gold medals they won at the Guangzhou Games in 2010, also won 111 silvers and 71 bronze for a grand haul of 383 medals.

The host finished well clear of Japan on 52 golds and South Korea, on 42, in the final medals table.

The first gold medal of the Games was won by China on the rowing lake on a drizzly Sunday morning two weeks ago.

Their 201st came in the pool in the final artistic swimming event, the team free routine.

“We had a lot of expectations for these Games and really hoped to do well,” said victorious artistic swimmer Feng Yu.

“But we are not that satisfied with some of the performances today, so everyone is still a little bit nervous.

“We are very happy to get the qualification to the Paris Olympic Games.”