Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings.

A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games.

In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83 bronze medals for a total of 341. Their nearest challengers, Japan, could not even muster half the number of golds, and in overall terms finished 72 behind at the end of the Games.

Still, Gao Zhidan, the team’s chef de mission in Japan and president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, was obliged to address what was seen by those at home as some disappointing performances in disciplines where their athletes have traditionally been strong, among them table tennis, badminton and weightlifting.

Losing the men’s team table tennis final for the first time in 36 years, and to the hosts no less, brought a level of introspection you might otherwise associate with a failing programme.

While state media discussed the lack of depth in the team and generational transition, with the likes of Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin confirming this was likely their last continental Games, Gao urged the team to “remain clear-headed”.

The fact Lin Shidong beat Wang to men’s singles and mixed doubles gold, and the women’s singles final was also an all-China affair, with Wang Manyu getting the better of Sun, would not suggest a sport in crisis.

Gao did however point to some shortcomings in “depth of talent”, “match management” and “form adjustment”, and Wang’s comments about the whole process of playing feeling “rather exhausting” will have been noted too.

“Through the World Cup, world championships, for some reason, I haven’t been able to find the same feeling I used to have on court,” he said after losing to Lin. “I can’t find that enjoyment of competing out there. That’s something I have to really reflect on.”In badminton, gold was restricted to the women’s team and the mixed doubles, while China was not represented in either the men’s or women’s singles finals.

It was one of the areas that Gao said served as a wake-up call, although China served some of their own to rivals either in Japan or watching from afar.

Of the delegation’s 815 athletes, 548 were competing in an Asian Games for the first time, and the likes of teenager sprinter Chen Yujie will certainly have made people sit up and take notice.

Track and field is where those envious of China’s power in other sports have started when suggesting the country’s Olympic success lacks big wins.

Dominating every aspect of diving, for example, is not considered the same as winning the blue-riband events, which at the global Games have always involved running, jumping and throwing. But in the latter of those at least, China again has world-leading talent.

Teen javelin star Yan Ziyi needed just one throw to win gold in Nagoya. Her first attempt of 70.46 metres was a Games record, and no one else came close. Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi took silver with 62.70m.

Barring serious injury or poor performance on the day, there is nothing to suggest that Yan, who is still only 18, will not be dethroning her Japanese rival in Los Angeles in less than two years.

There was also a Games and Asian record in women’s hammer, with Zhang Jiale, 19, throwing a mighty 78.27m for victory. In Paris, that would have blown Canadian gold medallist Camryn Rogers, who hit 76.97m on her fifth attempt, out of the water.

“I have thrown further than this, at a competition in Huai’an, China,” Zhang said. “I did not feel this one got everything out of me. I did not feel I had the speed on it.

“For my first Asian Games, though, I think it was pretty good.”China took more athletics gold than any other team, winning 17 overall, although in a worldwide context, not all titles are created equal. Chen set a Games record in the women’s 100m, coming home in 11.06 seconds.

By comparison, the fastest time globally in 2026 was the 10.62 seconds American Melissa Jefferson-Wooden put down at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest last month. The five quickest finishes of the year are 10.80 seconds or below.

How much speed Chen, or men’s 110m hurdles champion Chen Yuanjiang, can find between now and 2028 remains to be seen, but one area where Chinese athletes are still producing world-beating times is in the pool.

Yu Zidi, who turns 14 this month, was already a power in her sport before becoming a triple Games gold medallist, winning the 200m butterfly, the 200m individual medley and the 400m individual medley.

Zhang Zhanshuo, who is 19, became the first swimmer in Asian Games history to win seven gold medals at a single edition.

Away from sports in which China traditionally wins medals, there was gold in climbing’s individual speed events, BMX freestyle and esports. Yang Siqi, meanwhile, won silver in women’s shortboard surfing, her country’s first Asian Games medal in the sport.

Gao called the Games a “mid-term exam” for the next Olympics. Some athletes have come through with flying colours, others scraped a passing grade and others have some serious work to do.

Zhang Xin, secretary-general of the Chinese delegation, said the focus would “immediately turn to preparations for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, moving faster to address our shortcomings, shore up weak areas and improve our overall competitive level”.