China boast the distinction of having the most medals here in the 2023 Asian Games, as the hosts have tallied 187 golds, 104 silvers, and 63 bronzes (354 total) across various sporting events.
However, despite having fewer medals, it’s also a great time to be a Filipino or a Japanese, as their teams from basketball and football, respectively, have also had an eventful time here in Hangzhou.
After a disappointing run in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where they’re one of the tournament’s hosts, the Philippines redeemed themselves with a gold medal finish in the men’s 5×5 basketball category, while the Japanese women’s national football team just successfully completed their three-peat.
In case you missed it, SBOTOP is here to recap some of the biggest Asian Games 2023 results.
Philippines break long-standing Asian Games gold drought
Gilas Pilipinas did it. After 61 years, they can finally call themselves kings of Asian basketball once again, as they beat Jordan in the final last night.
The Tim Cone-coached squad started their Asian Games campaign with back-to-back double-digit victories against Bahrain and Thailand before losing to Jordan in the group stage. Because they missed out on the top spot in Group C, Gilas Pilipinas’ journey back to glory was way tougher compared to Jordan’s.
The Philippines had to go through the murderers’ row, with contenders Iran and China standing in their way after they blew out Qatar in the Round of 16. Gilas passed both tests with flying colors, beating them both by a grand total of two points.
Their most impressive victory of this tournament was their 77-76 result against defending champions China. China led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but Gilas clawed their way back up until the dying seconds to book their tickets to the finals.
And in their much-awaited rematch against Jordan, the Philippines were not to be denied, and they did it through their stifling defence.
Gilas Pilipinas held Jordan to a tournament-low 60 points on 26-per cent field goal shooting, with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson shooting just 8-of-29 from the field, although he finished with 24 points.
Prior to defeating Jordan, the Asian Games 2023 odds were stacked against the Philippines to guarantee at least a podium spot for the first time since their bronze medal finish in 1998.
The Philippines were in a state of disarray prior to the games, as the squad was formed hastily after the World Cup and Tim Cone reluctantly took over the head coaching job after the departure of Vincent “Chot” Reyes.
So, kudos to them for not withdrawing from the tournament and exceeding all our expectations.
Standout player/s: Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame
Justin Brownlee was easily the best offencive player for Gilas Pilipinas, and he has shown his clutch gene throughout the tournament. His best performance in the Asian Games was his 33-point outburst in their comeback semi-finals win over China, capped by his game-winning triple late.
Ange Kouame, meanwhile, has been the man in the middle for the Philippines. He may have had an overall lacklustre tournament, but he was consistent in his effort on the defencive end by altering shots and disrupting the plays of their opponents with his length and athleticism.
Japan show why they’re the cream of the crop in women’s football
The partisan crowd of over 35,000 in Hangzhou was in favour of North Korea, but that didn’t bother Japan one bit.
Yoshino Nakashima opened the scoring for Japan after 10 minutes, but Golden Boot frontrunner Kim Kyong-Yong made it 1-1 before halftime for her 12th goal of the competition.
The two teams remained deadlocked until Haruka Osawa, Momoko Tanikawa, and Remina Chiba scored three quick goals in just six minutes to seal the deal.
The Nadeshiko have now won three gold medals in the last four Asian Games after blowing out North Korea last night with a score of 4-1.
Standout player/s: Remina Chiba and Haruka Osawa
Michihisa Kano, who had to fill in for World Cup coach Futoshi Ikeda, said that the main reason for their Asian Games triumph is because of their solid youth system, and Remina Chiba, 24, and Haruka Osawa, 22, are the two biggest products of the said program.
Chiba and Osawa finished the Asiad with seven goals apiece, as both of them were clinical in the final third throughout the competition. It also helped that they’re teammates at JEF United Chiba. With the two of them leading the way, the future of the Nadeshiko is in good hands.
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