China split four team finals between two wins and two stunning upsets, while Macao’s karate and swimming campaigns both wrapped up
Asian Games: Hong Kong’s rowers strike gold
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Hong Kong’s rowing team capped its best single day of the Games with a gold medal, China split a remarkable set of four team finals between two titles retained and two stunning upsets, and Macao’s karate campaign closed with a confirmed silver and a surprise bronze.
Hong Kong: rowing gold and Haughey adds a fourth medal
Chiu Hin-chun won gold in the men’s lightweight single sculls on 24 September, his first Asian Games title in his third appearance. It rounded out a four-medal day for Hong Kong’s rowing team, adding to two silvers already announced, with Chan Tik-lun and Lam San-tung taking bronze in the men’s lightweight double sculls.
[See more: Asian Games update: China, Hong Kong and Macao shine]
Siobhan Haughey added a fourth medal of the Games, silver in the women’s 50m freestyle in 24.32 seconds, telling reporters afterwards that her body had been sending her “signals” that this would be her last Asian Games. Fencer Fong Hoi-sun won bronze in men’s individual épée, his best result across four Games appearances. The day’s haul, seven medals in total, was Hong Kong’s biggest single-day tally since the Games began, taking its overall count to 23: four gold, ten silver and nine bronze.
Macao: karate final result confirmed, plus a surprise bronze
Macao’s men’s karate team lost the team kata final to Kuwait on 23 September, settling for silver after beating Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei on the way there. Fong Man Wai added an unexpected bronze in women’s -50kg kumite, recovering from an early loss to reach the repechage after her original opponent advanced to the final, then beating Bangladesh and Uzbekistan to secure the medal. The results closed out Macao’s wushu and karate campaign for these Games, taking its overall tally to one gold, four silver and one bronze.
[See more: Asian Games update: Haughey and China’s swimmers shine]
In the pool, Ng Chi Hin placed sixth in the men’s 50m butterfly in 23.63 seconds, while Chan Pui Lam finished eighth in the women’s 200m breaststroke.
China: two titles retained, two lost in stunning fashion
The China women’s badminton team beat Japan 3-0 to end a 12 year wait for gold, while the women’s table tennis team beat Japan 3-0 for a sixth consecutive title, with Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Kuai Man each winning their singles matches.
Both men’s teams suffered stunning reversals, however. The men’s table tennis team, leading 2-1, lost the final two rubbers to Japan and fell 2-3, ending an eight Games winning streak dating back to 1994. Hours later, the men’s badminton team led Indonesia 2-0 before losing three straight rubbers to fall 2-3, handing Indonesia its first title since 1998, 28 years ago, and ending China’s own two title run.
Elsewhere, China’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team of Zhao Jiayue, Wang Haoyu, Zhang Zhanshuo and Pan Zhanle defended their title in 3:10.60, breaking their own Asian and Games record from Hangzhou. It capped a stretch that also included a sanda sweep, a first kayak gold, and a gymnastics team sweep across 22 to 24 September.
