JAKARTA: Asian Games hosts Indonesia smashed their record gold medal haul Monday. They dominated their homegrown ancient martial art of pencak silat, scooping all eight gold medals as they doubled their previous best tally at the regional Olympics.

There were also golds for Indonesia in both the men’s and women’s speed climbing events.

The successes brought their gold count for the day to 10, and their total for the Games to 22 — double their previous best, when they last hosted the regional Olympics in 1962.

He will face off against Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen on Tuesday, who ended the dream run of fellow Indonesian shuttler Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the other semi-final.

India’s Olympic silver medalist Pusarla Venkata Sindhu advanced to a badminton singles final against top-ranked Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan, who beat India’s Saina Nehwal in the other semi-final.

Chou Tien-chen ended any chance of an all-Indonesian final when he rallied to beat Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 16-21, 23-21, 21-17 in the second of the semi-finals, while local hope Jonatan Christie had a 21-15, 15-21, 21-19 win over Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the first semi-final, and peeled off his shirt to celebrate.

Jordan Clarkson, meanwhile, will report back for duty to the Cleveland Cavaliers without a medal from the Asian Games.

Clarkson got special permission from the NBA to join the Philippines basketball team for the Games but the national team didn’t get the result it was hoping for.

The Cavs guard led the Philippines with 25 points in the 91-82 loss to the defending champions South Koreans.

US-born forward Ricardo Ratliffe had 30 points and 14 rebounds for South Korea.

Clarkson missed the Philippines’ opening win over Kazakhstan and had a game-high 28 points in the 82-80 group-stage loss to China. The Chinese team contains NBA players Zhou Qi and Ding Yanyuhang and has had Yao Ming watching from the stands.

The remnants of Japan’s basketball team — after four players caught in indecent activities were sent packing in disgrace — were also eliminated in a 93-67 thrashing by Iran.

A day after a joint Korean team, symbolising this year’s rapprochement on the Korean peninsula, won their first Asian Games gold in the women’s dragon boat racing, their men’s team took a bronze in the 1,000m race.

And the South’s weightlifters joined their Northern neighbours in celebration as Kim Kuk Hyang secured North Korea’s eighth gold on the last day of the sport these Games — doubling their previous record.

“I think we have shown the world that the people of Korea are the greatest as one,” Kim said.

Earlier, Iranian giant Behdad Salimikordasiabi claimed a hat-trick of Asiad golds in the men’s superheavyweight class.

In the medal standings China’s haul continued to rocket, claiming eight more golds including wins in both men’s and women’s cycling team sprints. The Asian Games giants now has 86 golds, followed by Japan on 43 and South Korea on 28.

Organisers of the games in Jakarta and Palembang gave an update after the first full week of competition, saying ticketing had improved after some initial distribution problems and highlighted the six world records set including the long-standing marks lowered by Chinese swimmer Liu Xiang in the women’s 50-metre backstroke and Iran’s Sohrab Moradi’s snatch in the weightlifting 94-kilogram division.

The competitors from Afghanistan, China and Japan who were injured in paragliding accidents last week have all been released from the hospital and are recovering well, local organisers said.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2018