China, South Korea and Japan Finish With a Flourish as Asian Games Close

China’s men and women sprinters dashed off with gold medals in two relay races Sunday, clinching victory for their nation in a tense duel with South Korea for the most golds of the 10th Asian Games.

South Korea won the final event of the 16-day Games, beating Saudi Arabia, 2-0, for the soccer gold medal, and finished with 93 golds and the most total medals, 224.

The Chinese had a record 94 golds and 222 medals overall. Japan had set the previous record of 77 golds in 1966.

After the soccer match, athletes of the 27 nations represented in the Games gathered in the Olympic Stadium for festive ceremonies, and Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, declared the Games closed.

China and South Korea started the Games’ final day tied with 92 gold medals each, and South Korea leading, 220 to 219, in total medals. But South Korea was unable to win a gold in any of the day’s five track events, and China raced away with golds in the men’s and women’s 400-meter relays.

South Korea won bronze medals in the men’s marathon and the men’s and women’s 400 relays, assuring it of being No. 1 in the total medal count.

P.T. Usha of India became the Games’ seventh quadruple gold medal winner as India won the women’s 1,600 relay. Her other golds came in the 200, 400, 400-meter hurdles.