Gold medalist Chen Lin (C) of China, silver medalist Chang Chu-han (L) of Chinese Taipei and bronze medalist Xu Linxi of China pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's kayak cross final of canoe slalom at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyota of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Chen Lin and Japan's Yuuki Tanaka won the inaugural Asian Games kayak cross titles on Friday as the canoe slalom program concluded at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Chen led from the start of the women's final and held off her rivals to take gold. Chang Chu-han of Chinese Taipei claimed silver, while China's Xu Linxi took bronze.
The victory gave Chen her second medal in two days after winning silver in the women's kayak single on Thursday, as she topped the morning time trial and won both her quarterfinal and semifinal heats before securing the title.
"I stayed calm through all the races today and I'm quite satisfied with my performance," Chen said. "After yesterday's race, I reviewed things and made adjustments. Today I felt more confident."
Japan's Yuuki Tanaka won the men's final ahead of China's Quan Xin and Hu Zhaoshan, who took silver and bronze respectively.
Tanaka added gold to the silver he won in Wednesday's men's kayak single, when the Japanese paddler finished behind China's Hu.
China's Quan led early in Friday's final but lost momentum when his paddle collided with a Japanese competitor's boat at a gate. Quan and his Chinese teammate Hu had advanced together through the quarterfinals and semifinals, finishing in the top two of their heats.
"Kayak cross is a contact event, so contact is normal," Quan said. "But if I had been even half a second faster today, perhaps I could have avoided it and won on speed alone."
China finished with four golds, two silvers and two bronzes, winning medals in all six canoe slalom events. The addition of men's and women's kayak cross expanded the program from four medal events to six. ■
Xu Linxi of China competes during the women's kayak cross final of canoe slalom at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyota of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
Gold medalist Chen Lin (C) of China, silver medalist Chang Chu-han (L) of Chinese Taipei and bronze medalist Xu Linxi of China pose during the awarding ceremony for the women's kayak cross final of canoe slalom at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyota of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
Chen Lin of China competes during the women's kayak cross final of canoe slalom at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyota of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
Chen Lin of China competes during the women's kayak cross final of canoe slalom at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyota of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Haobo)
