Hangzhou, 9 Sep (ZXS) -- The curtain of the Hangzhou Asian Games is about to open, and China's sports are coming prepared

China News Agency reporter Hao Lingyu Xing Chong

The Hangzhou Asian Games is the third time that China has hosted Asia's largest comprehensive sports event after the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. In the first two Asian Games, the Chinese sports delegation fighting locally not only topped the gold medal list with an absolute advantage, but also let the world see the Chinese sports spirit shine. This Asian Games competition was launched on the shores of West Lake and the prepared Chinese sports corps braved difficulties and strived for new breakthroughs.

Data map: The picture shows the brightly lit Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Photo by Qian Chenfei

The "Master of Kings" is not afraid of strong opponents

The Hangzhou Asian Games are full of world-class competitions. In table tennis, badminton, diving and other sports, Asian players will compete fiercely, while the Chinese team is expected to show its strength in the top matchup.

As the "gold medal master", the Chinese table tennis team has won 19 of the 18 gold medals in the past three Asian Games, and recently won all the gold medals at the Pyeongchang Asian Championships. In the face of the world's traditional strong teams such as Japan and South Korea, the national table tennis team in good condition is not afraid of challenges, and the sword points to 7 gold.

The Chinese badminton team will also face Olympic-level competition at the Asian Games. Indonesia and Japan are old rivals of Guoba, and South Korea, which won three gold medals at this year's World Championships, is also strong. In addition, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Singapore and other first-class players will also play, and how Guoyu will survive among the strong opponents will be the highlight of the event.

Winning the gold medal is the goal of China's diving "dream team" at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. At this season's Swimming World Championships and Diving World Cup Finals, the Chinese diving team lost only one gold medal in the men's single 10m platform in the event. Back in Asia, the Chinese diving team faces relatively little competitive pressure, but the "PK" in the team is enough to present the world's top level.

For the Chinese gymnastics team, two team gold medals are inevitable. The men's gymnastics team, which has already qualified for the Olympic Games, also sent the main team, while the women's gymnastics team competed with the old and new combinations to defend the team title.

The Chinese weightlifting team, which recently won 20 gold medals at the World Championships, will once again show "Chinese power" at the Asian Games, and for newcomers, this is an experience and psychological quality experience.

Chinese shooters are also expected to grow in the Asian Games. At present, the Chinese team has "post-00s" players in all disciplines, and Asian players are also very competitive in the world shooting field, and if Chinese young players want to win, they must stand out in the encirclement of strong opponents such as India, South Korea, and Iran.

In addition to the World Championships "New Frog King" Qin Haiyang and the "Chinese Butterfly Queen" Zhang Yufei, there are also famous players such as Li Bingjie, Ye Shiwen, Yang Junxuan, Wang Shun, etc., and rookies such as Pan Zhanle also have the strength to give wonderful performances on the Asian Games stage.

On the track and field field, famous players such as Gong Lijiao, Wang Jianan, and Xie Zhenye are also expected to create good results.

The "Big Three" addresses different challenges

The "three big balls" have always been the focus of the competition, and in this Asian Games, China's national teams are facing different challenges.

As last year's Asian Cup champions, the Chinese women's football team suffered Waterloo at this year's World Cup and failed to qualify from the group. At the last Asian Games, the group stage of "Sonorous Rose" was strong, but it was a finalist and unfortunately won silver. In the Asian Games, the Chinese women's football team has been fine-tuned compared with the World Cup, and Wang Shuang and Zhang Linyan continue to lead the competition, aiming to make up for regrets.

Not long ago in the World Cup, the Chinese men's basketball team had a dismal record, with 5 win and 1 losses in 4 games, ending at the bottom of the group. In this competition, the Chinese men's basketball team occupies the "right time and place", the group stage opponent Lebanon withdrew before the game, and the Japanese team and the Philippines team have also made significant adjustments compared with the World Cup lineup. The Chinese men's basketball team, which has almost exhausted its main strength, needs to reinvigorate and take its opportunity into its own hands.

The Chinese women's basketball team, which holds the silver medal in the 2022 World Cup and the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Cup, is on the rise, and winning another gold medal is the only goal. Han Xu and Li Meng, who play overseas, will return to China to compete, with a complete personnel and tacit cooperation, and if they can beat strong teams such as Japan and South Korea, they have a high probability of successfully defending their title.

The previous champion, the Chinese women's volleyball team, had to deal with the challenges brought by continuous combat to physical fitness and competitive status. The team is currently participating in the Olympic qualification tournament in Ningbo, and will then directly compete in the Asian Games. After the Rio Olympics peaked, the Chinese women's volleyball team suffered a trough, but this year's World League runner-up let the outside world see the momentum of the women's volleyball team's re-emergence. In the Asian Games, the three teams of Japan, South Korea and Thailand will be obstacles on the road to the Chinese women's volleyball team defending their title.

The Chinese men's Asian Games team and the Chinese men's volleyball team have had mediocre results in the Asian Games in recent years, but in the competition before the opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games, both teams have achieved a "good start", and whether they can continue to break through is their challenge.

New projects strive for new breakthroughs

Two new sports will be officially unveiled at this year's Asian Games. With its dynamism and vitality, breakdancing attracts the attention of young people, and this time in the first Asian Games, the Chinese team sent 2 players to compete, each with their own unique style, will compete fiercely with Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan and other teams to accumulate experience for future growth.

E-sports at the last Asian Games appeared as a performance event, while the Hangzhou Asian Games became an official competition for the first time, and this field practice will provide reference for the subsequent benign development of the project.

Go is also a new event in this year's Asian Games, but unlike the previous two, this is the project's return to the Asian Games stage after the Guangzhou Asian Games. Thirteen years ago, the Chinese team won three silver medals in local combat. This time, the famous player Ke Jie led the battle, and the Chinese team strengthened its preparation in terms of fast chess rules and vowed to make a difference.

The Asian Games has always been regarded as the "middle school examination" before the Olympics, and Gao Zhidan, head of the Chinese sports delegation and director of the State General Administration of Sports, said that the Chinese delegation will strive to achieve excellent results and win the first place in the gold medal list and medal list. (End)