NAGOYA - Japanese sailors Misaki Tanaka and Sera Nagamatsu captured gold in the women's skiff at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, while Kurumi Ito added another title for the host nation in the canoe slalom women's kayak single.
Tanaka and Nagamatsu finished ahead of Hong Kong and China, which took silver and bronze, respectively, at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture.
"More than anything, I feel very relieved that we were able to get our revenge from the previous Asian Games," Tanaka said, referring to the 2023 Hangzhou Games, where she finished runner-up.
Nagamatsu said the pair capitalized on several mistakes by Hong Kong, which allowed them to create an advantageous situation, adding, "I think that was one of the reasons we were able to pull ahead."
At Yahagigawa Canoe Slalom Course in Toyota, also in Aichi, Ito defeated China's Chen Lin, who took silver, and Kazakhstan's Yekaterina Tarantseva, the bronze medalist.
The 25-year-old has already set her sights on making her Olympic debut at the next Summer Olympics in 2028. "Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics, which I'll start seriously preparing for next year, this has given me a lot of confidence."
