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Japan Narrow Gap with China in Medal Table
Hosts Japan narrowed the gap with China in medal table as they out-numbered China 18-12 in gold medal haul at the East Asian Games in Osaka on Saturday.
It is the first time that the hosts surpassed China in gold medal total in the nine-day Games which conclude on Sunday.
The hosts got five golds in swimming, six in athletics, three in judo, two in boxing and one each in bowling and soft tennis.
China got seven gold medals from athletics and one each in Wushu, swimming, boxing, women's volleyball and women's basketball.
Yet China still lead Japan in medal table by a large margin. China have won 80 gold medals while Japan have 57 to their credit.
In the athletics competitions on Saturday, China took seven more titles to get a golden tally of 27.
China triumphed in the women's triple jump, 4x100m relay, 5,000 meters, shot put, women's 4x400m relay, 200m and the men's discus throw.
China also won the titles in the women's basketball and volleyball. The young Chinese cagers beat Australia 80-75 for the title. It is the third encounter between the two teams in 10 days. China took an upper hand with a 2-1 record.
The women's volleyball final was held between Japan and China, the two unbeaten sides out of the round-robin tournament.
China won the first two sets 25-15, 25-21, in a fairly easy manner. But the hosts refused to give up and leveled 2-2 after taking the third and fourth sets 25-14, 25-18.
The fifth and decisive set was a see-saw game as neither team could lead by more than two points before China pulled away to take the set 15-13 to win the match.
The boxing competitions concluded on Saturday with Kazakhstan the biggest winners with 6 titles to their credit.
Asian boxing powerhouse South Korea got only three golds. Japan took two categories, China and Mongolia each took one.
China have ensured the top place on the medal table with 80 gold, 51 silver and 55 bronze medals. Japan have 57 gold, 65 silver and 60 bronze medals, followed by South Korea in the third place with a 34-41-60 medal record.
The East Asian Games will conclude on Sunday with 10 more gold medals on offer.
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