Liu Ruiqi of China in action during the women's single sculls semifinal at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi)
China's Liu Ruiqi and Zhang Liang sailed into the women's and men's single sculls Final A respectively at the Hangzhou Asian Games rowing competitions.
HANGZHOU, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Liu Ruiqi and Zhang Liang of China advanced to Final A in their respective disciplines of the Hangzhou Asian Games rowing competitions here on Friday.
Zhang, men's single sculls gold medalist at Jakarta 2018, crossed the line first in his semifinal, while his main rival, Ryuta Arakawa of Japan, also booked a berth in Final A.
In the women's single sculls semifinal, Liu finished second in seven minutes and 55.69 seconds, while Anna Prakaten from Uzbekistan crossed the line first.
"Today's weather is cooler than the first days, so I can breathe fresher and better, and I'm very glad that I made the final," said Prakaten.
The Hangzhou Asian Games rowing competition runs until September 25. The first gold medal of the Games could be awarded in the women's lightweight double sculls on September 24. ■