Butterfly specialist Zhang Yufei of China won her fifth gold medal of the Asian Games on Thursday when she pipped Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey to victory in the 50m freestyle as South Korea took revenge on hosts China in front of a rabid eSports crowd. Zhang finished with a new Games record of 24.26 seconds, with reigning 100 and 200 meter freestyle champion Haughey second in 24.34 and China’s Cheng Yujie third in 24.60. Similarly, world record holder Qin Haiyang added the Asian Games 200m breaststroke title to her 100m crown. Qin hit the wall with a new Games record of 2:07.03, well outside his world mark of 2:05.48 set in July, but well ahead of teammate Dong Zihao (2:08.67) and Japan’s Ippei Watanabe (2:08.67). 2:09.91) easily. Host China has won gold medals in everything from beach volleyball and gymnastics to table tennis and wushu in Hangzhou and topped the medal table. They have extended that dominance to the pool, one of the Games’ most eagerly awaited events and boasting Olympic and world champions. There is extra interest this time as there are less than 10 months left for the Paris Olympics. Overall, China leads the Games with 88 gold medals, while South Korea is second with 22 gold medals and Japan is third with 18 gold medals. China has won 19 out of 27 swimming golds so far, with both Zhang and Qin Haiyang warning their Olympic rivals. The 25-year-old Zhang is looking for a third individual gold medal in Hangzhou after tough wins in the 100m and 200m butterfly. He also has two relay golds to add to his collection. She qualified as the fastest for the 50m freestyle final on Thursday and will face Hong Kong’s Haughey, who has already won the 100m and 200m freestyle. Gold medals were up for grabs in 12 sports on Thursday, including artistic gymnastics, track cycling and shooting. In eSports – which is making its debut as a medal competition at the Games – South Korea’s Kim Gwan-woo will compete in the finals of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. South Korean athletes in sports, including eSports players, can controversially receive exemption from military service if they bring home gold. Also in eSports, in a rematch of the finals from five years ago – when it was only a demonstration game – South Korea defeated China in the League of Legends semi-finals. This was the revenge of South Korea and their legendary player Lee "the con" Sang-hyeok lost to China in 2018.
"As a coach, my aim from the beginning was to win titles with the team," South Korea coach Kim Jeong-gyun said.
"We have trained more than anyone this month and I believe we can win."
Esports events have proven extremely popular with fans, with tickets in high demand and a large number of young spectators providing hearty support from the stands. Fans unable to enter the futuristic-looking Hangzhou Esports Center with a capacity of 4,500 gathered outside in hopes of catching a glimpse of their heroes, especially Faker. On the first day of golf, Japanese amateur Saki Baba shot a seven-under 65 to take a surprise lead in the women’s event. But that couldn’t spoil Yin Ruoning’s 21st birthday. World number two Yin was two shots behind in the five-way tie after playing a brilliant innings of 67 in front of her home crowd.
"Not bad going bogey-free in my 21st round," Yin smiled, affectionately known as "Ronnie" On the LPGA Tour, after getting out of the blocks with five birdies in her first eight holes
