Cui Zhe wins China's first gold, Guo Lingling sets world record at Asian Para Games

(ECNS) -- Cui Zhe claimed China's first gold medal and Guo Lingling set a world record in para powerlifting on the opening day of the 5th Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Cui won the women's 41kg title with three successful lifts, including a third-attempt 120kg that surpassed her personal best of 119kg set at the Paris Paralympics. The victory extended her gold-medal streak to five consecutive Asian Para Games.

Guo won the women's 45kg event with a world-record lift of 126kg. She said she is confident of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics if her health and form allow. Chen Liuxun took bronze in the men's 49kg category, China's first medal of the Games.

China's swimmers collected 14 gold, 12 silver and 6 bronze medals, breaking multiple Games records and sweeping the podium in several events. In wheelchair fencing, China won all four golds on offer, with Zhong Saichun and Qin Benjun winning the men's foil individual A and B titles, and Gu Haiyan and Kang Su taking the two women's titles. Li Huiling and Wang Xiaomei won the women's C4-5 1,000m time trial and C1-3 3,000m individual pursuit in track cycling, respectively.

In athletics, He Shanshan won the women's 1,500m T11 title in a Games-record 4:41.19, and Mi Na took gold in the women's discus throw F37/F38. China's women's wheelchair basketball team beat Laos 109-20, the women's sitting volleyball team defeated Iran 3-0, and the goalball teams beat Japan 1-0 in the women's event and South Korea 9-4 in the men's event.