China targets top spot for 10th time in a row

Since the 1982 Games in New Delhi, Chinese athletes have consistently outshone their regional rivals while setting new benchmarks. On home soil in Guangzhou in 2010, China narrowly missed out on a breaking through the 200-gold medal barrier, but the 199 golds and 416 medals in all remains an Asian Games record for a single nation.

China may struggle to surpass those benchmarks but will expect to dominate as usual. At Incheon four years ago, China claimed the largest medal hauls in athletics, cycling, diving, gymnastics, rowing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting and the martial art of wushu. 

Sprint duo Su Bingtian and Xie Zhenye are expected to lead China’s charge on the track, with the pair pushing each other to new heights so far this season. Twice in the space of eight days in June, Su recorded times of 9.91 seconds in the 100 metres.

China’s supremacy is under threat in certain disciplines, with Japan and South Korean table tennis closing the gap. It has also brought a relatively inexperienced team, leaving multiple Olympic champions Ma Long, Xu Xin and Ding Ning out of the squad. It will hope its women’s volleyball team can reassert itself after picking up silver at Incheon behind South Korea.