China edges out Japan for cross-country relay gold

China wins gold in 28th Asian Mountain Bike championships; Japan 2nd, Kazakhstan 3rd; India 7th. #CrossCountryRelay #AsianMountainBike #China #Japan #Kazakhstan #India

China pipped Japan at the finish to win the gold in cross-country relay in the 28th Asian Mountain Bike championships here on Thursday.

The Chinese team comprising Wang Zili, Badan Shiqu, Chen Keyu, Ma Caixia, Lyu Xianjing came first in 1:03.24.10s, while Japan timed 1:03.43.17s toi finish ahead of Kazakhstan (1:05.55.15s). India finished seventh in the nine team event.

Japanese rider Toki Sawada established an early lead after the first lap and the second rider Riki Kitabayashi managed to maintain it. However, China’s Ma Caixia, who won silver in the cross-country event in the Hangzhou Asian Games, whittled down the gap and took the lead in the third lap.

Japan wrested back the lead in the fourth before the final lap saw a tight race between China’s Lyu Xianjing and Japan Tatsuumi Soejima. The former outsprinted Tatsuumi at the finish to pocket the gold for China.

“We rested our main riders for this race. It was in fact our second-string team. It was a tight race but I think our familiarity with the terrain and track helped us to win and I am happy with the team’s performance,” said Chinese coach Yi jian.

The results: Cross-country relay elite: 1. China (1:03.24.15), 2. Japan (1:03.43.17), 3. Kazakhstan (1:05.55.15).