Liu Dawen returns after eight years away and wins gold medal in Wushu at Asian Games

At the 2026 Asian Games in Aitih-Nagoa, China secured 12 gold medals on Monday. This day was marked by several sporting achievements, including setting multiple records and successfully defending the title in the men's all-around gymnastics event by Zang Boheng, marking the second consecutive day of strong performances by the delegation.

Swimmers contributed to China's haul of five gold medals, setting two Asian records and one Asian Games record from Tokyo.

The most prominent individual performance was the victory of Yu Jidi in women's swimming in the 200-meter individual medley. The thirteen-year-old athlete won with a time of 2:06.10, improving the previous Asian record held by her compatriot Yu Yiting, who finished second with a time of 2:07.99. Mio Narita from Japan won the bronze medal.

Yu Jidi's winning time was only 0.40 seconds faster than the world record of 2:05.70 set by Summer McIntosh from Canada. This victory was the second gold for the teenager at the Asian Games following her previous triumph in the women's 200-meter butterfly.

China also broke another Asian record in the evening's final race—the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Although Japan led early in the competition, Pan Zhanle closed the gap in the third leg. Then Zhang Zhanshuo delivered a powerful final sprint of 1:42.92, overtaking his Japanese rival in the last 50 meters and securing the win for the Chinese quartet after trailing.

Xu Haibo, Fei Liwei, Pan, and Zhang finished with a time of 7:00.17, thereby lowering the Asian record and beating Japan by 0.88 seconds. Athletes from the Republic of Korea took the bronze medal with a time of 7:06.76.

Swimming veteran Xu Jiayou was also recognized in the record books as he successfully defended his title in the men's 50-meter backstroke. The 31-year-old athlete covered the distance in 24.04 seconds, breaking the Asian Games record, while his compatriot Wang Zhining took second place with a time of 24.49.

Xu's time was slower than his own Asian record of 23.92 set earlier this year, so his achievement is counted as a Games record rather than a continental standard.

China also won gold in the women's 50-meter backstroke thanks to Wang Letian, and Dun Zhixiao shared the title in the men's 100-meter breaststroke with Japan's Shinon Ohashi, as both finished with a time of 58.64 seconds. Chinese swimmers concluded the evening with five gold medals across seven finals.

In Nagoa, Zang Boheng managed to retain his title in the men's all-around gymnastics, defeating two Olympic champions from the host country—Japan. The reigning champion scored 85.065 points across six apparatuses, surpassing Shinnosuke Oku from Paris, the Olympic gold medalist, who finished second with 84.698 points. Tokyo Olympian Daiki Hashimoto placed third with 83.865 points.

Zang climbed in the rankings after starting the pommel horse and took a strong position with 14.700 points on the parallel bars. Knowing he needed to secure the final ring, the 26-year-old athlete reduced the difficulty of his routine and scored 14.033 points to ensure gold. This victory brought China its third consecutive Asian Games championship title in the men's all-around and a total of 12 golds.

Thanks to these 12 victories on Monday, China's overall tally reached 23 gold, 10 silver, and five bronze medals after two full days of competition.

China began its women's football tournament at the Asian Games in Haiti-Nagoa by securing a convincing 5-1 victory over the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Monday. Wang Shuang played a key role in this victory, scoring two goals and providing two assists.

In the first half of the match, China dominated and took the lead within 14 minutes. Former winger for PSG and Tottenham, Wang Shuang helped create space for Chen Qiaozhu, who converted a long-range shot. However, HKSAR managed to respond in the 31st minute, capitalizing on a defensive error to equalize the score.

China regained the advantage seven minutes after the opponent's goal: Si Yu scored with a header from a Zhang Rui corner, allowing the team to finish the first half with a score of 2-1.

In the second half, China completely controlled the game, which ultimately cemented the result. The substitution of Wang Yanwen immediately influenced the course of the game. Three minutes after entering the field, she received a pass from Wang Shuang in midfield and finished the attack, increasing the lead to 3-1.

Subsequently, Wang Shuang herself scored a goal. In the 79th minute, she scored after receiving the ball at a sharp angle, although the ball slightly deviated while entering the net. In the 89th minute, the veteran added a second goal while China was attacking near the opponent's penalty area.

The 31-year-old athlete concluded the match having been directly involved in four of the team's five goals. After the game, she emphasized that the result was more important to her than her personal contribution, noting the team's patience as an important quality.

China is participating in Group G alongside HKSAR, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines. The Philippines and Uzbekistan drew their first match 1-1, resulting in China becoming the only team in the group to earn three points in the first round of matches.

The tournament features 12 teams divided into three groups. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.

China's next match is scheduled against Uzbekistan on Thursday, after which the team will conclude the group stage with matches against the Philippines on September 21.

Chen Xintong from China managed to make an impressive comeback in the decisive match, defeating Egyptian Hana Godo 3-2 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the WTT Champions Macao women's singles tournament, which took place in Macau, China, on Friday.

The Chinese athlete overcame a slow start, winning with scores of 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, despite serious opposition from the 18-year-old Egyptian, in a match that stretched over all five sets.

Initially, Godo started more confidently and dominated the first set with a score of 11-3, but Chen quickly adjusted her game, winning the second set 11-8 to level the score, and then taking the third set 11-6.

The match remained tense as Godo did not give up and won the fourth set 11-9, sending the contest into a deciding fifth set.

In the final set, Chen found herself in a difficult position; Godo took the lead 7-1, and it seemed she was approaching the eight finalists, but then Chen managed to turn the tide of the match by winning points one after another.

The Chinese star won 10 of the next 12 points, ultimately completing the comeback with a score of 11-9, allowing her to win 3-2 and avoid defeat.

After the match, Chen noted that she played poorly at the beginning of the final set but observed a change in Godo's play as the Egyptian approached victory. She focused on reducing the deficit one point at a time, eventually finding a way back into the fight.

This encounter became another intense duel between the two athletes, as Chen had previously also required five sets to defeat Godo at the Europe Smash tournament in Sweden in August.

The Friday victory followed a simpler start to Chen's campaign in Macau, where she defeated German Nina Mittelham 3-0 in the round of 32, conceding only 14 points over three sets.

In the next quarterfinal match, Chen will play against another Egyptian athlete, Dina Meshref, on Saturday. Meshref advanced to the eight finalists after defeating American Lily Zhang in two sets.