Swimming sensation Yu, 13, fuels China’s Asian Games gold rush

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 21 - With a generational talent making a splash in the pool and a bunch of sharpshooters dominating the range, behemoth China cemented their lead on the medal table on day two of full competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday.

Organisers postponed the equestrian events to Tuesday amid fears of disruption, then heaved a sigh of relief as typhoon Dujuan shifted toward eastern Japan, allowing the rest of the programme to proceed.

In the pool, 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi collected her second gold in as many days, scorching to an Asian Games record to win the 200m individual medley. Her time was four-tenths shy of the world record held by Canada's Summer McIntosh.

"I feel even happier about this gold medal than the first one (200m butterfly)," the prodigy said.

“The details we discussed today were things I might not get right in training, so I needed to pay more attention to them," she said.

China's Dong Zhihao shared the men's 100m breaststroke gold with home favourite Ohashi Shin while compatriot Qin Haiyang, who swept the breaststroke events at Hangzhou 2022, settled for bronze.

China's marksmen were just as ruthless at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery.

Olympic champion Sheng Lihao defended his men's 10m air rifle crown, holding off spirited challenges from India's Himanshu Dhillon and Rudrankksh Patil. China also clinched both team golds.

At the Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, bitter rivals North Korea and South Korea played out a 1-1 draw in a women's group F soccer match.

NO HANDSHAKE

The 1950 to 1953 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, meaning the North and South are still technically at war.

North Korea coach Pak Song-jin played down the rivalry, calling it nothing special, while his opposite number Shin Sang-woo was not surprised at no shaking of hands after the match.

“It’s not always the case, but if (DPR Korea) requests a handshake, of course I will respond with one," he said.

“In this football game, we just need to achieve results. The political situation does not matter.”

The day also delivered a milestone for mixed martial arts.

Dastan Kanybek uulu earned the sport's first Asian Games medal in its Nagoya debut, taking bronze in the 60 kg category.

The modified format, designed to broaden appeal and support a longer-term Olympic bid, may not satisfy hardcore purists of a sport once dubbed "human cockfighting," but it marks a significant step toward mainstream inclusion.

In another first, an Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) refugee team will make their Asian Games debut in Nagoya.

Mahmoud Jasem Muhammad and Tala Hasan Hunaidi, Syrian refugees who fled their strife-torn homeland to live in exile at Jordan's Azraq refugee camp, are both taekwondo fighters.

"The preparations were really intense, and our goal isn't just to participate — we're hoping to achieve something, God willing," Muhammad said. REUTERS