China’s Men’s Quadruple Paddle Boat Advances to Finals at Hangzhou Asian Games
On the second day of the rowing competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games, China’s men’s quadruple paddle boat successfully advanced to the finals. The rowing event, which took place on September 21, saw 9 rematches to determine the finalists and semi-finalists. The Chinese team participating in the men’s quadruple sculls without coxswains secured their place in the Group A finals with a first-place finish in the semi-finals.
During the men’s quadruple sculls preliminaries on the previous day, the Uzbekistan team defeated the Chinese team by 1.09 seconds, earning them the first-place position in the group and allowing them to directly advance to the Group A finals. However, as the top four teams from the semi-finals would advance to the finals, there was less pressure on the Chinese team. Led by Li Wenlei, Zhang Xianfeng, Xu Qiao, and Cai Pengpeng, the Chinese team clinched first place in the semi-finals with a time of 6 minutes, 13 seconds, and 62 seconds.
Chinese rowing team coach, Liu Jian, acknowledged the rapid progress made by Uzbekistan and India in the past two years and stated that the Chinese team has also made corresponding adjustments. He believed that participating in another rematch may benefit the team. Liu emphasized the importance of going all out and striving for good results in the Asian Games held at home.
In other rowing events, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Japan, and Hong Kong, China qualified for the finals in the women’s lightweight double sculls. Hong Kong player, Huang Xiangyi, expressed the psychological pressure of needing to secure a spot in the Group A finals. She mentioned making adjustments in the rematch and performing better technically, hoping for a favorable ranking in the finals. The men’s lightweight double sculls finals will feature India, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and South Korea.
South Korea and Kazakhstan secured their spots in the women’s double sculls finals, while India, Iraq, Indonesia, and Iran qualified for the men’s double sculls finals through the rematch. Iraqi player, Khafaji, spoke of the intense competition during the rematch and his team’s strong performance. He mentioned their two-month training in Belgium before the Hangzhou Games and expressed hopes of winning a medal in the finals.
With China’s men’s quadruple paddle boat advancing to the finals, the team aims to perform exceptionally well and bring home a medal. The rowing competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games continues to showcase the talents and determination of the participating athletes.
Author: Reporter Wang Zhenkai
Editor: Xu Jie