Team China reclaims three gold medals in basketball and volleyball after eight years
Updated 22:12, 04-Sep-2018
Li Xiang
["other","Asia"]
China's Team Red defeated Iran 84-72 in the final of men's basketball tournament of the 2018 Asian Games on Sunday, taking back the title of the event after eight years.
Team Red started out slowly and struggled with shooting. They trailed by 16 points at one point.
Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming standing by the court during the final /VCG Photo

Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming standing by the court during the final /VCG Photo

Seeing the point deficit, Abudushalamu Abudurexiti and Ding Yanyuhang started to take over with their athleticism by attacking the basket to score or win free throws. As the scores got closer, Team Red began to find their touch at the three-point line with Zhao Rui and Zhou Qi sinking in the long-range shots.
Though Iran launched multiple counterstrikes, Team Red kept their focus on the game and became the eighth Asian Games champion in men's basketball in history.
China's women's basketball team celebrating winning gold of the 2018 Asian Games /VCG Photo

China's women's basketball team celebrating winning gold of the 2018 Asian Games /VCG Photo

Also on Sunday, China took a tough win by defeating the ROK-DPRK united team 71-65 in the final of women's basketball tournament of the 2018 Asian Games, bringing home the gold medal after eight years. 
Having won all seven games of the event, China defeated each rival by 55.4 points on average, including smashing Indonesia 141 to 37 in the quarter-finals. The victory in Jakarta made clear that China has returned as the best women's basketball team in Asia.
Players of China's women's basketball team tossing their head coach up to celebrate their victory /VCG Photo

Players of China's women's basketball team tossing their head coach up to celebrate their victory /VCG Photo

The team will first return to China for a short break before heading to Spain for the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup during September 22 to 30. Team China are in Group D with Team USA, Team Latvia and Team Senegal.
After the two victories on Sunday, Team China has taken home all four gold medals in basketball at the 2018 Asian Games including men's 5v5, women's 5v5, men's 3v3 and women's 3v3, setting a new record in the event's history. This is also the fourth time the country's two basketball teams has won titles at the same time.
China's women's volleyball team celebrating after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games /VCG Photo

China's women's volleyball team celebrating after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games /VCG Photo

The third time's the charm. In the final of women's volleyball tournament of the 2018 Asian Games on the same day, China beat Thailand 3-0, taking gold in the event after eight years, which is also the team's eighth Asian Games title in history.
Including the easy win in the final, China has won eight consecutive games without losing even one set. The team's captain Zhu Ting did not miss a minute in her first Asian Games final and scored 26 points, adding this gold to her other wins at the Summer Olympics, FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, FIVB Volleyball Women's World Grand Champions Cup and Asian Volleyball Women's Championship.
Lang Ping won her second gold at the Asian Games since 1998 in Bangkok as the team's coach. She's also China's second female coach after Chen Zhonghe to win two Asian Games titles. Meanwhile, the Chinese women's volleyball team have won medals in all 12 Asian Games they have attended since 1974 including eight gold, three silver and one bronze.
(Top picture: China's Team Red pay tribute to the audience after their victory over Iran. /VCG Photo)