China sends A-team for home Asian Games regatta

Hosts China have entered a squad packed with international experience for the Hangzhou Asian Games rowing regatta, with crews competing including the world championship bronze medallists in the women’s quadruple sculls.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions Chen Yunxia, Zhang Ling, Lyu Yang and Cui Xiaotong will aim to bring home China’s second title in the W4x, with its only previous appearance at the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014.

Another strong medal hope for China comes in the men’s double sculls. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Zhang Liyang and Liu Zhiyu got back in the boat this year after spending 2022 in the men’s quadruple sculls. They had a good World Rowing Championships, finishing sixth overall and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The hosts will also be hoping for medals in many of the other events featuring at the Fuyang Water Sports Centre between September 20 and 25. Although the Asian Games are not an Olympic qualification event, the regatta includes all 14 Olympic boat classes, including, for the first time, the women’s eight.

That has attracted five entries, from China, India, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Japan’s other hopes include Ryuta Arakawa, who would end a strong 2023 season on a high if he can take his country’s first Asian Games title in the men’s single sculls. Arakawa won bronze at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang; China’s Zhang Liyang is reigning champion and is doubling up in the M1x as well as the M2x in Hangzhou.

While most of the Chinese and Japanese teams competed at the 2023 World Rowing Championships earlier this month in Belgrade, many nations opted to focus on the Asian Games instead.

A notable exception was Uzbekistan’s Anna Prakaten, who will make her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou after finishing 15th overall in the women’s single sculls in Belgrade. Her main rival for gold in Hangzhou is likely to be Liu Riuqi of China, who was 14th in Belgrade, three seconds ahead of Prakaten in the C-final.

Their competitors include Haya Almamy, who will become the first female rower to represent Saudi Arabia at the Asian Games. Bahrain are also competing for the first time at the regatta, with entries in the W1x and M2x.

A total of 21 nations and 257 athletes will compete at the Asian Games regatta, with many rowers doubling up in two events.

Hangzhou is the 19th Asian Games, with the multisport event taking place every four years. This is the 11th time rowing is on the programme, and the M1x is the only event to have featured every time. China top the all-time medal table with a total of 98 medals including 92 golds.