Roundup: Rain produces upsets, highlights at National Games

GUANGZHOU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- A drizzle and a drop in temperature here on Tuesday introduced an element of uncertainty, yet track events at China's National Games continued to offer thrilling moments with eight gold medals up for grabs amid dramatic upsets.

In the women's 400m, Liu Yinglan of Sichuan overtook local favorite Mo Jiadie in the final meters to win her first major senior title in 51.75 seconds, with Mo taking silver in 51.87.

"The weather wasn't ideal, but we had to adjust," Liu said. "This gold medal represents a new beginning for me."

The men's long jump also saw a major upset as World Championships bronze medalist Shi Yuhao of Jiangsu fouled all three of his preliminary attempts and missed the final. Asian Championships winner Shu Heng seized gold with his first jump of 8.17 meters.

Despite the challenging conditions, many athletes rose to the occasion, including Henan's Liang Tiantian, who won the women's 5,000m in 15:09.85, with 12 other athletes setting personal bests. Yu Shuiqing of Liaoning claimed the men's title in 13:36.89.

National record holder Liu Kai of Shandong won the men's 400m in 45.77 seconds, claiming his first National Games gold. "To win in a field this strong, and in tough weather, means a lot," the 19-year-old said.

Softball concluded after eight days, as defending champion Jiangsu edged title favorite Liaoning 4-3 in the final, claiming its fourth straight National Games crown and avenging a 5-1 group-stage loss.

In badminton, world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi of Hubei beat Jiangsu's Gao Fangjie 21-12, 21-11, and Olympic champion Chen Yufei defeated Fujian's Han Yue 21-10, 21-16, both advancing to the women's singles final.

The men's singles badminton final will feature Weng Hongyang against Hubei's Zhu Xuancheng. Weng advanced with a straightforward 21-7, 21-14 victory, while Zhu prevailed over Hunan's Wang Zhengxing in a closer match, 21-15, 22-20.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Liu Qingyi claimed the breakdancing gold medal, edging Shandong's Guo Pu 2-1 in a three-round final, with Zhejiang's Zeng Yingying taking bronze.

"I didn't focus too heavily on each individual move this time," Liu said. "The key was to open up my state and dance authentically in my style."

Lei Jiangqing clinched Guizhou's first-ever National Games gold in weightlifting, winning the 81kg category with a total of 366kg. Hubei's Tu Yi later took the 89kg title with a 388kg total. Enditem