Berliner Tageszeitung - Taiwan boxer Lin wins gold as virtual taekwondo makes Games debut

China's Wang Xiyu, fresh from conquering top seed Alexandra Eala, toppled compatriot Zhang Shuai to seal the women's tennis singles title -- and a ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

It helped bolster China's runaway haul of gold medals to 161, with hosts Japan a distant second with 69.

A Games marred by organisational chaos in Aichi-Nagoya will close on Sunday.

Lin beat China's Yang Chengyu 5-0 in the women's 60kg final, giving her a second Asian Games gold after winning in the 57kg class three years ago.

Lin told AFP before the Games that she had considered retiring after winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics but wanted to carry on fighting in part to defy those who questioned her eligibility.

She said after victory in Nagoya that she had been "waiting for that moment when the light breaks through".

"It was really not easy at all," she said.

"It's rare to finally reach that point where you see the dawn, and I'm just so grateful to myself for making it through."

Lin and Imane Khelif of Algeria found themselves in the middle of a major gender row at the 2024 Olympics, with Donald Trump, Elon Musk and author J.K. Rowling among those wading in.

The two boxers had been disqualified from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after the organisation said they failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.

However, the IOC allowed them to compete in Paris, saying they were victims of "a sudden and arbitrary decision" by the widely discredited IBA. Both went on to win gold.

In tennis, Wang breezed past her compatriot Zhang 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes.

Tennis is one of seven sports at the Games where the winners receive an Olympic qualification place.

- Into the future -

Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but the Korean martial art stepped into a not-so-brave future where nobody gets hurt.

A modest number of spectators watched with a mix of fascination and bewilderment as virtual taekwondo made its Games bow.

Taekwondo officials have billed it as "real-world martial arts meets cutting-edge virtual technology".

The two combatants stand within their own play area a few metres apart.

The goal is to aim real kicks to the virtual body and head of their opponent to deplete their computerised health bar.

The opponent is physically there, standing on an opposing side, but there is never any real-life contact.

Asked what he could see through the VR headset, Singaporean bronze medallist Darren Yap said: "You can see your health bar, your opponent's character, your limbs.

"It's actually quite nice to wear."

- Biting controversy -

Japanese judo officials said they had never seen anything like it after eventual champion Rin Maeda appeared to be bitten by her Chinese opponent.

Maeda was awarded victory in the quarter-final bout when Tang Jing was disqualified just over a minute into the contest.

Tang appeared to bite Maeda just above the wrist while the pair were clinched on the ground, with Maeda showing the referee visible teeth marks after getting up from the mat.

Hong Kong's men's rugby sevens team sent an ominous warning as they powered into the semi-finals with an eight-try 50-0 demolition of Malaysia.

Hong Kong are yet to concede a point as they chase a third Asian Games gold medal in a row.

In golf, Tom Kim stormed to the top of the third-round men's golf leaderboard as he chases a gold medal to keep him from a spell in South Korea's military.

Able-bodied South Korean males are usually required to perform between 18 months and two years of military service before the age of 28.

But the Seoul government rewards Asian Games gold medals and Olympic medals of any colour with an exemption.

N. Nilsson--BTZ