China Defeat Japan to Win Asian Games Men’s Gymnastics Team Gold

Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail

NAGOYA: China defeated hosts Japan to win the men’s team gymnastics gold medal at the Asian Games on Wednesday, with Zhang Boheng delivering a crucial performance on the high bar.

China needed a strong score in the final rotation, and Zhang responded with a clean routine that earned him 14.20 points.

The 26-year-old gymnast helped China finish with a winning total of 259.095 points alongside teammates Zou Jingyuan, Lan Xingyu, Sun Wei and Tian Hao.

The victory marked China’s third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in the men’s team event. Japan claimed silver for the third successive edition.

Japan faced an additional challenge as Olympic champion Shinnosuke Oka competed despite a back injury. He reportedly used painkillers and reduced the difficulty of some routines in an effort to remain fit for next month’s World Championships in Rotterdam.

Oka struggled on the pommel horse and rings before falling during his high-bar routine in the final rotation. He completed the routine after the fall, initially receiving 12.666 points, which was later revised to 12.966.

Japan also received a strong contribution from Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto, who produced notable performances on the pommel horse and vault.

China gained further ground through Zou Jingyuan on the parallel bars. Zou performed a high-difficulty routine and scored 15.40 points, giving China an important advantage over Japan in the penultimate rotation.

With the team victory, China moved to the top of the gymnastics medal standings at the Asian Games, ahead of Japan, before the women’s team final later on Wednesday.