Women’s basketball takes centre stage at the Asian Games on Thursday when hosts China clash with Japan for gold while neighbours North and South Korea fight it out for bronze.
Gold medals were up for grabs on the 12th day of competition in Hangzhou in everything from cycling and squash to weightlifting and wrestling.
China added to their medal haul — now standing at 174 golds — when He Jie fulfilled a lifetime dream by winning the men’s marathon, emphatically seeing off the challenge of North Korea’s Han Il Ryong.
Bahrain’s Kenyan-born Eunice Chumba, who won the Rotterdam marathon this year, was in a class of her own in the women’s event, claiming victory by nearly two minutes in 2hr 26min 14sec.
He, who came 45th at the August world championships in Budapest, was neck-and-neck with Han at the 40 kilometre mark of the Qiantang River Green Belt course.
But he gradually ground down his North Korean rival to edge clear, powering to the finish line in 2:13.02sec and winning by 25 seconds.
“I told my coach that I have a dream and I will do it no matter what it takes,” said the 24-year-old He.
“All of my plans this year were centred around preparing for the Asian Games because this competition is held in China and 1.4 billion Chinese people are watching.”
Rivals face off
India are enjoying a record-breaking Games.
They won a 19th gold, and 82nd medal overall — their best tally ever — when their archers triumphed over Taiwan in the women’s team compound.
All eyes will turn later in the day to Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, where North and South Korea — neighbours who are still technically at war — will face off for women’s basketball bronze.
That will be followed by China against Japan in the final, with the hosts bidding to retain their crown in front of what is sure to be a partisan home crowd.
Friday’s men’s final is set to be another cracker, with the Philippines — who dumped out China on Wednesday — coming up against Jordan.
Han Xu, a giant centre for New York Liberty in the Women’s National Basketball Association, is wary of Japan.
“They have good shooting and breakthrough abilities. We need to prepare for defending against small players,” she said.
No matter what happens, star player Han hopes to use her experiences in the WNBA to take the national side to the next level in future.
“I think we need to engage with the international basketball scene and align ourselves with international standards,” she said.
“As one of the tasks of playing abroad, I want to bring back the experience of playing with the Liberty, including my own training and growth there, hoping to help the Chinese team.”
In other action on Thursday, six finals will conclude the boxing.
Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov already has an Olympic gold from 2016 and will be favourite to finally get his hands on Asiad gold when he faces Thailand’s Panmod Thitisan in the flyweight (51kg) final.
