Japan win first gold of Asian Games at home, prodigy Yu leads China's pool surge

NAGOYA, Japan - Hosts Japan won the first event of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, but China wasted precious little time racing to a double-digit gold-medal haul with teenage sensation Yu Zidi clinching the women's 200m butterfly title in Games record time.

China's Olympic champion Pan Zhanle secured gold in the men's 100m freestyle. While his time of 47.61 seconds fell short of his own world record of 46.40, it was enough to successfully defend the crown he claimed in Hangzhou three years ago.

“I was a little short of what I expected. I wanted to do better and swim faster but first of all I am happy to have won," Pan said.

“This was my best result in the past two years. It was still below what I expected but I will take it step by step. I believe I can swim faster in the future.”

TEQBALL MAKES GAMES DEBUT

Pan relied on a late burst to edge a tight contest but Yu, who turns 14 next month, led end to end at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre to secure gold on her Asian Games debut, clocking two minutes, 5.08 seconds.

Her effort eclipsed compatriot Zhang Yufei's previous mark of 2:05.57 set in Hangzhou, though rewriting the record books still left the prodigy hungry for more.

"It was only so-so. I hope I can swim even faster. I improved my time by 0.9 seconds here and I believe I will perform better next time," she said.

"My technique is still slightly lacking. I need to lower my head earlier, reach farther forward and improve the movement of my legs. Those are all areas that I need to work on."

Thailand claimed three of the five gold medals on offer as teqball made its Asian Games debut — a milestone the sport's governing body views as a crucial step toward its ultimate ambition of joining the Olympic programme.

“I am so happy I could die right now," South Korean Lee Jun-suk said after winning the men's singles gold.

"We just prepared for six months. We prepared really hard. I wanted to be a medallist but I didn’t imagine this situation.”

PERFECT START FOR JAPAN

Earlier in the day, hosts Japan enjoyed the perfect start when Takumi Hojo powered to victory in the men's individual triathlon in the first full day of competition.

Hojo emerged from the warm waters of Mikawa Bay in fourth position and completed the cycling leg in fifth before pulling away on the run to win by nine seconds ahead of China's Zhang Xirui. Kazakhstan's Arlan Zhanabay crossed the line a further six seconds back to take bronze.

"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," said Hojo, who won mixed relay gold at the Hangzhou Games.

"I'd planned to attack using my strengths right until the end.

"As it's our first gold medal, it's given the Japanese team a real boost and we've managed to pass the baton on to the women and our teammates for the relay."

Following a build-up marred by athlete complaints over accommodation and logistics, organizers could take comfort as the spotlight finally shifted to sporting action.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry threw her weight behind the organizers on Sunday, saying she was impressed with the athletes' living quarters in Nagoya despite criticism from several competitors.

Logistical hiccups lingered, however, with South Korea complainingthat their men's basketball team missed a scheduled practice session ahead of Sunday's final when their official shuttle bus failed to arrive.

—Reuters