Japanese triathlete Takumi Hojo wins first gold medal of Asian Games 2026

By winning the men’s triathlon gold at the Asian Games on Sunday, Japan’s Takumi Hojo also qualified for the Los Angelese Olympics 2028. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Host Japan won the first gold medal of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 as Takumi Hojo finished first in the men’s triathlon event at the Gamagori City Triathlon Venue on Sunday.

The 30-year-old Hojo topped the 33-man field by clocking a time of 52 minutes 56 seconds. China’s Xirui Zhang (53:05s) took the silver medal while the bronze went to Arlan Zhanabay (53:11s) of Kazakhstan.

It was the first of the 469 gold medals to be awarded at a two-week showpiece that has more athletes than the Olympics.

The triathlon comprised a 750m swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5,000m run.

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“As it’s our first gold medal, it’s given the Japanese team a real boost,” said the 30-year-old Hojo, whose win will qualify him for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I was really fired-up. Even the rain held off, and I was in top form right up until I stood on the starting line,” added Hojo, who also won the Asian Games test triathlon a year ago on the same course.

China’s Lin Xinyu (57:s37s) won the women’s triathlon gold with the silver and bronze going to China’s Anqi Huang (57:58s) and Japan’s Manami Hayashi (58:36s), respectively.

(With inputs from AFP)

Published on Sep 20, 2026

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