Another triumph for Team China at the 2018 Asian Games ! On the 20th, the mountain bike events kicked off, where Chinese rider “A-Dan” Jiang Shengshan broke through a tough challenge from the host Indonesian riders to clinch a silver medal. This marks the first Asian Games mountain biking medal for Team China in 20 years since Chen Ruming won bronze at the 1998 Bangkok Games, and also the first-ever medal for China in the men’s downhill MTB event.
The men’s downhill MTB event, which had been absent for three editions of the Asian Games, was reinstated in 2018 at the request of the host nation, Indonesia. With daring skill and nerves of steel, Chinese mountain biker Jiang Shengshan finished just 1.497 seconds behind the gold medalist, securing the silver. This is the first-ever medal for Team China in the men’s downhill MTB at the Asian Games.
Chinese rider Jiang Shengshan lived up to expectations. He completed the downhill finals in 2 minutes, 18.184 seconds to claim the silver medal. This is the first medal for China in the men’s downhill MTB event at the Asian Games. Indonesian rider Muchi took the gold with a time of 2 minutes, 16.687 seconds—just 1.497 seconds ahead of Jiang.
Mountain bike downhill events were previously held at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games. China’s first downhill medal was a bronze won by female rider Chen Ruming at the 1998 Bangkok Games. In this edition, female rider Zhou Peini also competed in the women’s downhill on the 20th, finishing the finals in 2 minutes, 46.516 seconds and placing fifth. Indonesian rider Prastika won the gold with a time of 2 minutes, 33.056 seconds.
Host nation Indonesia swept both the men’s and women’s downhill gold medals, fully showcasing the advantage of being the home team. In fact, the top three male downhill riders finished within three seconds of each other, giving an edge to those familiar with the course. As a result, Indonesia only opened the downhill track for practice one day before the race, keeping it exclusive to their own riders the rest of the time—an obvious disadvantage for competitors from other countries.