Day 5: Japan shines in table tennis and swimming as China's gold rush continues

The 2026 Asian Games witnessed a day where host nation Japan delivered historic breakthroughs, while China maintained its gold medal march on Thursday.

Japan ended China's quest for a ninth consecutive title in the men's table tennis team final following a narrow 3-2 win, clinching its first gold medal in the event since 1966.

The team tie was ultimately decided in the fifth match, where 19-year-old Wen Ruibo fell 3-1 to fellow teenager Sora Matsushima. Earlier in the contest, China faced strong resistance from Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto. Harimoto defeated Wen 3-1 and later swept Wang Chuqin 3-0 to level the overall score at 2-2.

However, China women's table tennis team quickly restored order, sweeping Japan 3-0 to claim the women's team title. Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, and Kuai Man all secured victories in their respective matches.

Japan also shone in the pool as Shin Ohashi shattered the men's 200m breaststroke world record in 2:04.83, trimming 0.65 seconds off Qin Haiyang's previous mark. His compatriot Kotomi Kato triumphed in the women's 200m breaststroke in 2:22.57.

China's young swimmers made waves as 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo claimed his sixth Asiad gold, winning the men's 800m freestyle in a Games-record 7:42.49. He then helped China win the men's 4x100m freestyle relay with an Asian-record 3:10.60, ahead of South Korea and Japan. China also dominated the women's 4x200m freestyle relay in 7:49.37, beating Japan by 10.16 seconds.

Wu Qingfeng won the women's 50m freestyle in a Games-record 23.98, missing the Asian record by just 0.01 seconds. Bahrain's Mikhail Arkhangelskiy won the men's 50m butterfly with an Asian-record 22.91, followed by Japan's Shoon Mitsunaga and China's Wang Changhao. This was also Bahrain's first gold at the Games.

Also in the pool, China beat Japan to win the women's water polo title.

China reclaimed the Asiad badminton women's team title with a 3-0 sweep of Japan, ending a gold-medal drought that spanned the last two editions of the Games. In the men's team final, China suffered a 3-2 defeat to Indonesia, missing out on the gold medal.

Out on the water, China claimed two golds and two silvers in the canoe sprint. In the women's kayak double 500m, Yin Mengdie and Yu Shimeng took gold with a time of 1:45.010, finishing 3.130 seconds ahead of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Ji Bowen and Wu Shengyue secured the men's canoe double 500m title in 1:40.741, beating Uzbekistan by 2.137 seconds. In rowing, China won nine out of 14 gold medals on offer.

China's Wu Zhifan and Liang Zhenglan finished 1-2 in the women's mountain bike cross-country. Since the event became an official Asian Games sport at Bangkok 1998, China has won all available gold medals in the women's cross-country.

Across other venues, Chinese shooters added two gold medals to the tally, winning the men's 10m air pistol team and the mixed skeet team.

In gymnastics, China's Qiu Qiyuan won the women's uneven bars, while Lan Xingyu topped the men's rings. In weightlifting, China's Yang Yang won the men's 60kg title, while He Yueji broke the men's 65kg snatch world record but settled for a silver.

In athletics, China's Huang Yingying and Li Yi took silver and bronze in the women's triple jump respectively. The gold medal went to Uzbekistan's Sharifa Davronova with a personal best of 14.35 meters.

China secured a 1-2 finish in men's discus throw, with Aduduaini Tuergong winning gold with 64.26m and Wu Nanjun taking silver with 61.58m.

Bahrain's Winfred Yavi claimed the women's 10,000m title in 32:39.18.