Archery continues at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games as China passes 150 golds

Archery competition continued at the Asian Games in Japan on Thursday, October 1, as the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 edition moved into its final stretch with just a few days remaining.

Reuters photographs from Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square showed athletes in action in the archery venue, including the Philippines’ Amaya Amparo Cojuangco and South Korea’s Kang Yeonseo, underlining the breadth of participation across the continent as the Games progress toward their closing stages.

The XX Asian Games are being held across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, 2026, marking a return to the event’s traditional four-year rhythm after the previous edition in Hangzhou, China was postponed and ultimately staged in 2023.

Archery action in Okazaki as the programme rolls on

Archery, one of the sports with deep roots in Asian competition, was among the events in focus on October 1 at Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square in Okazaki, Japan.

While no verified results were available in the provided material, Reuters’ on-the-ground dispatches captured the presence of multiple national teams and athletes competing as the Games enter their final days. The images highlighted Cojuangco representing the Philippines and Kang competing for South Korea, two countries with active multi-sport delegations in Aichi-Nagoya.

The archery competition forms part of a packed daily schedule as medals continue to be decided across venues in Aichi and Nagoya ahead of the October 4 finish.

China’s medal surge and diving milestones set the tone

The scale of China’s overall dominance has been one of the defining narratives of the Games.

According to a report datelined Nagoya and published by Dawn, China crossed the 150-gold mark on Wednesday with four days of competition remaining, leaving them far ahead of the host nation Japan and regional rivals South Korea. The report put China on 150 gold medals, compared with Japan on 50 and South Korea on 24.

Diving, in particular, delivered another landmark for China. The Dawn report said Chen Yiwen and Lian Junjie won the final two diving titles on Wednesday, completing a 14th consecutive sweep of all diving gold medals at the Asian Games.

Lian’s victory in the men’s 10-metre platform also carried broader historical weight. The report said it marked China’s 100th consecutive Asian Games diving gold, an unprecedented run that stretches back to the country’s debut in the sport at the Games in 1974.

“This milestone was made possible by the efforts of our predecessors, built up little by little over generations,” Lian was quoted as saying. “Their work has given us the sense of mission and responsibility that we carry today, and motivated us to fight…”

A separate Korean-language report by Chosun Ilbo also underscored China’s commanding position, stating China had reached 151 gold medals and describing the Games as overwhelmingly tilted in China’s favour.

Football final set; tennis star Eala assures a medal

Beyond the medal table, several marquee events have been moving toward their climaxes.

The Dawn report said South Korea and Japan had set up a men’s football final, a meeting between two of Asia’s most prominent football nations that will draw significant attention in the closing days.

In tennis, the same report said Filipino player Alexandra Eala had guaranteed herself a medal, ensuring a podium finish for the Philippines in the sport. The material did not specify the event category or the colour of the medal, but the assurance of at least bronze added to the Philippines’ highlights at the Games.

With the Games running through October 4, the remaining days are expected to bring further finals across multiple sports, as well as the decisive matches that will complete the medal standings.

India’s human stories: Mumbai ticket inspector returns with kabaddi gold

Away from the biggest medal-table headlines, individual stories have also captured attention across Asia, including in India.

Mid-Day reported that Sonali Shingate — a deputy chief ticket inspector with Western Railway in Mumbai and a kabaddi player — returned to Mumbai from Japan with an Asian Games gold. The report said she received a warm welcome at Santacruz Railway Colony on Monday night after years of balancing railway duties with elite sport.

Shingate’s path to the top included significant setbacks. Mid-Day reported she had won silver at the 2018 Asian Games before targeting gold, but a serious knee injury — an ACL tear in 2022 — followed by surgery and rehabilitation threatened her career. She returned to training, won gold at the national level, and then made the India squad for the 2026 Games in Japan, where she achieved her long-held goal.

The report also said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated her on her arrival back in Mumbai.

What the Asian Games are — and what comes next

The Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, are a continental multi-sport event recognised by the International Olympic Committee and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia. The competition is staged every four years and carries the motto “Ever Onward.”

The first edition of the Asian Games was held in 1951 in New Delhi, India, a starting point that has since grown into one of the world’s largest multi-sport events.

Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is the XX Asian Games and is being held from September 19 to October 4 across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya. It follows the most recent edition in Hangzhou, China, which was postponed and eventually hosted in 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking ahead, the next hosts are already set: Doha, Qatar will stage the Asian Games in 2030, followed by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2034.

For now, the focus remains on the current Games in Japan, where archery and other sports continued on October 1 and the medal race has been shaped by China’s surge past 150 golds, headline-grabbing milestones in diving, and high-profile finals such as the men’s football showdown between Japan and South Korea still to come before the October 4 close.