NAGOYA: China crossed the 150-gold mark at the Asian Games on Wednesday as their divers extended an extraordinary unbeaten run, while Filipino tennis star Alexandra Eala guaranteed herself a medal and South Korea and Japan set up a men’s football final.

China’s gold-medal tally reached 150 with four days of competition remaining, putting them well clear of hosts Japan on 50 and South Korea on 24.

Its dominance was particularly emphatic in diving, where Chen Yiwen and Lian Junjie won the final two titles of the competition to give China a 14th consecutive clean sweep of the sport’s gold medals at the Asian Games.

Lian’s victory in the men’s 10-metre platform also delivered China an unprecedented 100th consecutive Asian Games diving gold.

China have won every diving title since making their Asian Games debut in 1974.

“This milestone was made possible by the efforts of our predecessors, built up little by little over generations,” Lian said. “Their work has given us the sense of mission and responsibility that we carry today, and motivated us to fight for this 100th gold medal.”

Chen, a double Paris Olympic champion, also underlined the depth of China’s women’s diving programme.

“Girls are every bit as capable as boys,” she said. “We are pushing ourselves to perform more difficult dives, too. We do not train any less than the boys.”

In tennis, Eala reached the women’s singles semis with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Taiwan’s Joanna Garland at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre.

The 20-year-old Filipino, ranked 18th in the world, recovered from an early exchange of breaks before taking control of the opening set and sweeping through the second. Her semi-final against China’s Wang Xiyu will guarantee her at least a bronze medal.

Eala, the first Filipino to win a WTA singles title, said she had no regrets about missing the China Open to represent her country.

“Representing my country and playing these types of Games, SEA Games, Asian Games and hopefully the Olympics, they’re very close to my heart and a big part of my dreams,” she said.

Eala’s women’s doubles campaign ended, however, when she and Shaira Rivera lost 7-5, 6-2 to China’s Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan.

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting also secured a place in a final, beating Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova 5-0 in the women’s 60kg boxing semi.

The Olympic champion, who was at the centre of a gender dispute at the Paris Games, is now one victory away from a second Asian Games gold. Lin, 30, thanked the medical team after the bout for treating a cut to her nose sustained in the quarters.

In men’s football, South Korea came from behind to beat China 2-1 in Osaka and reach the final for a record fourth consecutive Games.

Bae Jun-ho scored the late winner after the teams went into half-time level at 1-1. He said he and stand-in captain Eom Ji-sung had discussed the move that produced the decisive goal during the interval.

South Korea will face Japan in Saturday’s final after the hosts edged Uzbekistan 9-8 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

South Korea will seek a fourth successive Asian Games gold in the competition.

India, meanwhile, remained on course for another strong showing in compound archery after winning all three team gold medals on offer. India had swept all five compound archery titles at the Hangzhou Games three years ago.

Surfing, which made its Asian Games debut in Aichi-Nagoya, also continued to attract attention ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Japan’s 18-year-old Mirai Ikeda became the first women’s Asian Games surfing champion after beating China’s Yang Siqi in Tuesday’s final. Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi won the men’s gold, giving Japan both inaugural titles.

Ikeda said she was already focused on closing the gap with the world’s leading surfers before LA28.

“I still feel like I’m not quite at the level of the world’s top surfers right now,” she said. “There’s so much to work on, and I’m honestly really excited about it.”

She plans to compete in as many World Surf League events as possible in an attempt to qualify for the Championship Tour.

Away from competition, organisers again faced questions over the Games’ operations.

Nagoya mayor Ichiro Hirosawa apologised to athletes following a series of complaints over accommodation and transport. The Games have more than 17,000 athletes and officials, with participants housed in temporary wooden units, hotels and a cruise ship rather than a conventional athletes’ village.

“We must offer our apologies to the athletes and others affected by these inconveniences,” Hirosawa said. “We must sincerely reflect on the mishandling that occurred.”

The logistical problems came after days of rain disrupted the Games, although warmer sunshine finally returned to Nagoya on Wednesday.

The improving weather also allowed the golf competition to begin, with South Korea’s Tom Kim overcoming a punishing travel schedule to shoot a three-under-par 67 and finish the opening round in a share of seventh.

Kim, who had travelled from the Presidents Cup, said he had managed only six hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours.

Defending champion Taichi Kho of Hong Kong, China, carded a one-under 69 and recorded a hole-in-one during his round.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026