Tokyo [Japan], September 21: Japan's Hojo Takumi won the first gold medal of the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in the men's individual triathlon on Sunday and secured a quota at the LA28 Olympics for his country in the process.
Hojo took the tape in 52:56, holding off Zhang Xirui of the People's Republic of China by nine seconds to top the podium. Kazakhastan's Arlan Zhanabay won bronze.
Hojo - who dyed his hair bright red to match the colour of Team Japan's tracksuit - was second to Zhang going into the run but overtook him with a long spurt to put Japan in the gold column.
The 30-year-old Hojo had missed out on the last two Olympic Games and was not about to blow another opportunity.
"The moment I found out this was going to be the first gold medal of the event, I knew it was a chance to bring triathlon to the fore in Japan," Hojo said.
"Me personally, it was beyond frustrating to miss Tokyo and Paris and the Asian Games was a great opportunity looking forward to Los Angeles.
"I had my hair set and I felt great from the start. I feel so blessed to have won this."
Source: Qatar Tribune
