Zhejiang Athletes Win 30 Golds at Asian Para Games

At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, athletes representing Zhejiang Province captured 30 gold, 18 silver, and 11 bronze medals while establishing one world record and eight competition records, according to regional reporting. The performance marks the best overseas appearance by Zhejiang athletes in the history of the Asian Para Games.

Weightlifting Mixed Team Debut Brings Final Medal

On the final day of competition on October 24, weightlifter Tan Yujiao teamed up with teammates Yan Panpan and Zou Yi to compete in the newly introduced mixed team weightlifting event. The three athletes secured a bronze medal in what marked the Asian Para Games’ first-ever inclusion of a mixed gender lifting category, bringing Zhejiang’s final medal count to a close.

For the 36-year-old Tan, the podium finish followed years of physical rehabilitation. Following the 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games, severe injuries nearly forced her into early retirement before she managed a competitive return to international stages.

Zhejiang Athletes Win 30 Golds at Asian Para Games

Swimming Dominance Leads the Provincial Delegation

A total of 33 athletes from Zhejiang competed across 10 major sports within the Chinese delegation, including archery, track and field, badminton, blind judo, weightlifting, swimming, taekwondo, goalball, sitting volleyball, and wheelchair basketball. The swimming pool served as the delegation’s primary gold mine.

Eight Zhejiang swimmers combined for 22 gold, 12 silver, and 6 bronze medals. Swimmer Jiang Yuyan entered five individual events and one team relay, collecting six gold medals while breaking one world record and one competition record. Fellow veteran Wang Lichao, 33, added three gold, four silver, and one bronze medal while setting two new competition records.

Archery and Team Events Deliver Dramatic Finishes

Beyond the pool, Zhejiang competitors demonstrated success in individual and team disciplines. In the women’s individual W1 open archery final, archer Cen Mengkan overcame an early deficit by shooting five 10s and one 8 with her final six arrows to capture the gold medal.

In team sports, Zhejiang athletes formed the core of the Chinese men’s and women’s goalball squads, contributing to a combined finish of one gold and one silver medal across the two tournaments.

Historical Context in International Competition

The delegation’s final tally of 59 total medals surpasses benchmarks from previous overseas editions of the continental multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities.