Taiwan, China and Japan yesterday won the last gold medals of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in karate and artistic swimming.
The final gold medal, and Taiwan’s 19th at the Games, went to Taiwan’s Gu Shiau-shuang (谷筱霜) who beat Kazakhstan’s Moldir Zhangbyrbay to defend the women’s under-50kg kumite title she won in Jakarta in 2018.
In the men’s team kata event, Japan edged Macau in the final to take gold, China won gold in the artistic swimming team free routine, with Japan just behind in silver and Kazakhstan taking bronze.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
In Gu’s close final, the 26-year-old scored five points in the last 1 minute, 2 seconds of the three-minute match after Zhangbyrbay, also 26, had built a five-point lead. Gu won by decision.
In kimute, the combat form of the Japanese martial art of karate, the jury determines the winner in the event of a draw.
Gu’s gold medal brought Taiwan’s total medal count to 67 — 19 golds, 20 silvers and 28 bronzes.
The 19 gold medals Taiwan won at the Games smashed the 10-gold goal set by the Sports Administration for the competition, originally to be held last year.
The gold-medal count also matched Taiwan’s performance in the 1998 Games in Bangkok, where they won 77 medals, including 17 silvers and 41 bronzes.
At this year’s Games, Taiwan took first place for the first time in a number of disciplines such as judo, canoe slalom, 3x3 basketball and go.
A large portion of the gold-medal haul was won by Taiwanese roller skaters, who bagged seven golds along with two silvers and four bronzes.
Taiwan’s roller skating team and their coaches have also accumulated the highest amount of the nation’s athletics awards, totaling NT$45.6 million (US$1.42 million).
The Sports Administration said that based on Taiwanese athletes’ achievements at this year’s Asian Games, a total of NT$335.3 million in awards is to be issued.
Hosts China finished atop of the Asian Games medals table with a record 201 golds.
China, who surpassed the 199 gold medals they won at the 2019 Games in Guangzhou, China, won 111 silvers and 71 bronze for a grand haul of 383 medals.
The hosts finished well clear of Japan, with 52 golds, and South Korea, with 42.
Additional reporting by AFP
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