Asian Games 2018 medal table: The Asia Games are being held form August 18 to September 2 When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox This is the 18th edition of the Asian Games and is being hosted in two Indonesia cities - Jakarta and Palembang. China and Bahrain finished with 12 gold medals each at the end of the athletics programme in Jakarta on Thursday. China is at the top of the medal tally on day 13 of the 18th Asian Games with 112 gold medals and 241 medals in total. India added five medals to their tally to take the medal count to 59 in Jakarta on Thursday.<doc-sep>Aaron Favila/Associated Press Powerful China and upset-minded Iran will battle for the men's basketball gold medal Saturday in the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. China used its size and strength to dominate Chinese Taipei by an 86-63 margin in the semifinal round. The Chinese will be attempting to win their eighth Asian Games basketball gold medal. Iran played a strong game in its semifinal to defeat South Korea 80-68. A victory for Iran would be its first-ever basketball gold in the Asian Games. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 a.m ET, and the game is available via live-streaming. China earned its spot in the final by breaking open what had been a fairly close game at halftime with a powerful third-quarter run. China held a 37-30 lead after two quarters, and then dominated the next 10 minutes with a 31-12 edge. Zhou Qi of the Houston Rockets led China with 22 points, while teammate Wang Zhelin chipped in with 12 points in support of the high scorer. Iran's victory gave the winners some revenge over South Korea. Those two teams had met in the 2014 Asian Games title game in Incheon, South Korea, and the hosts were victorious on that occasion. Video Play Button Videos you might like This time Iran overcame 37 points by Ricardo Ratliffe by concentrating its defensive efforts on the South Korean supporting cast. That strategy turned out to be successful as South Korea struggled with its three-point shooting—just 4 of 14 from beyond the arc. Heo Ilyoung had scored 18 points and hit four three-pointers in South Korea's previous victory over the Philippines, but he could not get on the scoreboard against the Iranians, per Sid Ventura for ESPN.com. China's march to the championship round started off with a narrow 82-80 victory over the Philippines, and victories over Kazakhstan (83-66) and Indonesia (98-63) preceded the victory over Chinese Taipei. Iran defeated Syria (68-55) and Japan (93-67) prior to its triumph over South Korea.<doc-sep>Arguably the biggest game of football this weekend takes place in the unlikely location of West Java, where South Korea take on Japan in the final of the 2018 Asian Games. Rarely has a football tournament been so much about one player and onlookers around the world have found themselves fretting almost as much as those in Seoul about the fate of the Korean captain Son Heung-min. It all ends, one way or another, on Saturday as the biggest rivals in Asia meet at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong. The Samurai Blue would love to win but the Taeguk Warriors have to – only gold would mean military exemption for the 20 players in the Korean squad. That is the only reason Tottenham Hotspur let Son leave the early stages of the Premier League season to play in a far-flung, regional Under-23 tournament (he is one of three overage players allowed). Victory would mean the 26 year-old could see out his new five-year contract in north London – or be sold on for a fee that reflects his abilities – without having to return home when he is 28 for 21 months of duty to his country. For his younger compatriots, it opens doors, maintains freedom of hairstyle and maximises earning potential, far beyond two years of basic army pay. The situation has created a motivation to win that borders on painful. Coach Kim Hak-bom wrestled with who to include in the squad – and, perhaps more pertinently, who not to include – knowing that his decision could change lives in a dramatic fashion. Nicknamed “Hakbomson” in homage to Sir Alex Ferguson, Kim copped plenty of flak for calling up his former club favourite Hwang Ui-jo in one of the precious three overage playing spots. Luckily the striker, the real star of the tournament, has silenced the critics with nine goals. Korea have taken part in the Asian Games football tournament before – and their players have won exemption before – but apart from 2014 on home soil (when Son did not play as Bayer Leverkusen refused to release him for a tournament not recognised by Fifa), not that often. This time feels much bigger. The presence and profile of Son, whose time is running out, has made a regional story into a bona fide global one. For Korea, failure is not an option. There was severe criticism after a surprise 2-1 loss to Malaysia in the second group game when Kim heavily rotated his team, but results improved after that. Iran were defeated 2-0 in the second round and AFC Under-23 Champions Uzbekistan – seen as Korea’s biggest threat – were overcome 4-3 after extra-time in the quarters. Son couldn’t even watch the 118th minute penalty conversion from Hwang Hee-chan. Just two days later came a sixth game in 14 days, and a 3-1 win over Vietnam to earn a spot in the final against their old rivals. In some ways, Japan have been the complete opposite of Korea in this tournament. The Samurai Blue have somewhat flown under the radar, partly because they are using this tournament in a way that Korea can only dream of: as part of planning for the future. Japan did not call up any overage players and brought a squad made up entirely of players under 21. The idea is for this group to gain experience in readiness for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As such, there are zero expectation and little pressure on Japan to win Saturday’s final. It all rests on Korean shoulders, and this may be where the game is won or lost. Son’s Premier League or Champions League experience could prove a key factor, but even he may not have experienced this level of pressure before.<doc-sep>
What's the story? In an unfortunate turn of events for Men's 75kg category semifinalist Vikas Krishan, the boxer has been forced to settle for the bronze medal after being deemed medically unfit to take part in his semifinals clash in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. In case you didn't know... Vikas Krishan Yadav is a gold medalist from the lightweight category at the Asian Games 2010 and also happened to clinch the bronze medal in the 2014 Incheon Games. In the qualification rounds, Krishan put up a dominating show against Pakistan's Tanveer Ahmed to win 5-0 and followed it up with a thrilling 3-2 win over China's Tanglatihan Tuoheta in the quarter-finals. The heart of the matter India's 🇮🇳@officialvkyadav unfortunately has been forced to pull out of the semi-final bout as he has been declared medically unfit due to an injury. Vikas will settle for a bronze in the men's 75kg category of #AsianGames2018 #PunchMeinHaiDum pic.twitter.com/n758zvc1Fn — Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) August 31, 2018 One of India's biggest medal prospects from the boxing arena, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist was pitted against Kazakhstan's Amankul Abilkhan in the semifinals of the ongoing Asian Games. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old boxer, who hails from Hisar in Haryana, a cut on his left eyelid was enough to prevent him from participating in the semifinals. Vikas's exit from the competition means that the Indian boxer will have to settle for the bronze medal while his opponent will go through to the finals. This is Vikas Krishan's second consecutive bronze medal, having lost out in the semifinals in the 2014 edition as well. Vikas first came to prominence when he won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Youth Boxing Championships and also the silver medal at the 2015 Asian Boxing Championships. The boxer's confirmed bronze medal takes India's tally to 60 medals in all, six short of the record for the most number of medals in a single edition of the Asian Games for India. What's next? The Indian contingent will be in action across various disciplines in the next couple of days and it remains to be seen how many more medals will be added to the overall tally, with a new record - for the most number of medals in a single edition of the Asian Games - in sight.