HANGZHOU – Defending champions Japan beat North Korea 4-1 to win the women’s football gold at the Asian Games on Friday, with the Chinese crowd in Hangzhou cheering loudly in support of their opponents.
The Japanese, who went into the final averaging seven goals a game, took an early lead, but the North Koreans levelled six minutes before half-time.
The two teams remained deadlocked until Japan scored three goals in the space of six second-half minutes to put the result beyond doubt at the Huanglong Sports Centre.
It gave them their third gold in the last four Asian Games and denied North Korea their first title since 2014.
The Chinese crowd of over 35,000 was overwhelmingly in North Korea’s favour but it was Japan who took the lead in the 10th minute via Yoshino Nakashima, before Kim Kyong Yong equalised.
North Korea started the second half strongly but Haruka Osawa headed Japan back in front in the 66th minute.
Momoko Tanikawa made it 3-1 from the edge of the box and Remina Chiba sealed the gold with the fourth goal.
China took the bronze after thrashing Uzbekistan 7-0.
In weightlifting, China’s Liu Huanhua produced an incredible final lift of 233kg in the clean and jerk to snatch the men’s 109kg gold from Olympic and world champion Akbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan.
Liu’s winning total of 418kg, a Games record, was the equivalent of hauling a grand piano over his head and his win relegated a dumbstruck Djuraev into silver.
The Uzbek had celebrated moments earlier, believing his final lift for a 417kg total was enough. His compatriot, Ruslan Nurudinov, took bronze on 391kg.
“This is at home. I could not fail,” Liu said. “The crowd was so enthusiastic that they lifted me up and I had this driving force inside me, and that’s why I was able to put in this performance and win the gold medal.”
In other news, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has warned the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) of facing “consequences” for allowing the North Korean flag to be repeatedly flown at the Games, saying the matter is being treated “extremely seriously”.
Wada declared North Korea’s national anti-doping body “non-compliant” in 2021 and imposed sanctions that remain today. They include not being able to fly its flag at any regional, continental or world sports event, excluding the Olympics and Paralympics.
Despite this, North Korean athletes carried their flag at the Asian Games opening ceremony and it has been routinely hoisted when they won medals.
“Wada has written to the OCA on several occasions before and after the opening ceremony of the Games, explaining in clear terms the possible consequences that could arise for the OCA if this matter is ignored,” it said.
There are a range of punishments Wada could impose on the OCA. They include having International Olympic Committee (IOC) funding withdrawn, OCA events losing their status as qualifying meets for the Olympic or Paralympic Games and the imposition of fines. AFP, XINHUA
