Japan Win Men's Kayak Cross Gold, China Take Women's Title

Japan and China shared the golds in the kayak cross finals at the Asian Games canoe slalom venue, with Japan winning the men's event and China taking the women's.

In the men's kayak cross final, Japan won gold on home water, with China taking both the silver and bronze medals on offer. China responded in the women's final, winning gold themselves, with Chinese Taipei taking silver and a second Chinese paddler claiming bronze.

Kayak cross is a head-to-head knockout format in which four paddlers race down the course simultaneously, making it one of the more unpredictable and spectator-friendly disciplines on the canoe slalom programme. The event's addition alongside the traditional individual kayak and canoe slalom finals has added a new dimension to the sport at these Games, with both finals producing tight, close-quarters racing through the gates.

The results mean China have now topped the podium in three of the four canoe slalom events held in Nagoya, having also won both the men's kayak single and women's canoe single golds earlier in the competition. Japan's win in the men's kayak cross is the host nation's only gold of the canoe slalom programme, giving the sport's medal table a strong Chinese tilt as the discipline's events at these Games draw to a close.