Hong Kong secured both gold and silver medals in the mixed doubles squash event at the Asian Games after its two pairs triumphed in their respective semifinal matches on Sunday. The victories guarantee an all-Hong Kong final, which is set to take place today at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.
Lee Ka-yi and Tang Ming-hong advanced by overcoming India’s Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar in a 2-1 match, while compatriots Toby Tse Yee-lam and Lai Cheuk-nam defeated Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold and Ameeshneraj Chandaran 2-0 in a swift 21-minute game. Lai expressed surprise at their performance, noting that they had lost to the Malaysian pair in June but focused on delivering their best effort. “It usually doesn’t happen [making a final], so we are nervous as well. And we are happy the other mixed doubles team from Hong Kong has made it to the final,” he added.
In other squash events, Hong Kong’s Simmi Chan Sin-yuk was defeated in the women’s singles semifinal by Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam but still secured a bronze medal. The city’s fencing squads also earned bronze medals, with the women’s foil team falling to Japan 45-27 and the men’s sabre squad losing 45-24 to South Korea in their respective semifinal matches at the Sky Sky Expo.
China continued to dominate diving, winning the two gold medals contested on Sunday, the first day of competition for the sport following the conclusion of swimming events. Chen Yuxi successfully defended her women’s synchronized 10m platform title alongside a new partner, Lu Wei, while compatriots Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan took gold in the men’s synchronized 3m springboard event.
In athletics, Japan’s Ichitaka Yamashita won the men’s marathon, with Bahrain’s Shitaye Habte capturing the women’s gold medal. The women’s javelin event, featuring China’s teenage standout Yan Ziyi and Japan’s reigning Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi, is highly anticipated for today.
Table tennis provided a moment of celebration for China following a disappointing men’s team loss to Japan earlier in the week. However, the mixed doubles final saw the top-ranked pair Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha defeated 4-0 by Lin Shidong and Kuai Man, a result described by Lin as unexpected.
Despite these high-profile competitions, event organizers acknowledged ongoing challenges with attendance and logistics. The 30,000-seat stadium was only about a quarter full during Friday’s men’s and women’s 100m races, two of the Games' marquee events. Overall, ticket sales remain below expectations, with fewer than 60 percent of tickets sold for eight sports, including football. Organizers expressed dissatisfaction with these numbers while also noting ongoing issues related to transportation and accommodation during the Games.