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China have claimed their first-ever Asian Games Team Dressage title at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, finishing almost three percentage points clear of the Republic of Korea as Japan secured bronze on home soil.
China have made Asian Games history after winning Team Dressage gold for the first time, producing a consistent series of performances at JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo on Friday.
The Chinese quartet of Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint, Jiayi Rao and Geniaal, Zhanzhao Gu and Shakespeare 82, and Yue Wu with Iggy Pop Bek finished on a combined score of 208.148%.
That put China almost three percentage points clear of the Republic of Korea, who took silver on 205.265%, while host nation Japan completed the podium with 204.117%.
Nine nations contested the team competition, with 45 horse and athlete combinations taking part.
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Personal best helps China to historic gold
Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint produced China’s strongest performance of the day, recording a new personal best of 70.265%.
It was the second-highest score of Friday’s competition and puts the combination firmly among those to watch as attention turns to the individual medals.
Yu and Jackpoint are trained by FEI Dressage World Championship 2026 silver medallist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.
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Jiayi Rao and Geniaal added another strong score for China, finishing fourth individually on 69.618%. The pair arrive at the Asian Games with proven championship form, having won both the Individual and Freestyle titles at the FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya last year.
Zhanzhao Gu and Shakespeare 82 also finished inside the top 10 after scoring 68.265%.
Yue Wu and Iggy Pop Bek completed China’s team on 67.735%, finishing 12th individually. Their result became China’s drop score.
Korea take silver as Nam leads individual standings
The Republic of Korea secured Team silver despite every member of its squad making their Asian Games debut.
Dongheon Nam produced the highest score of Friday’s competition, setting a new personal best of 70.559% aboard his 10-year-old gelding Leonidas.
The result leaves Nam at the top of the Individual classification heading into the remaining stages of the competition.
Nam is no stranger to championship success, having won Individual gold at the 2019 FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya.
Myeongseok Lee and Rosetti also achieved a personal best, scoring 67.971% to finish 10th, while Hyunwoo Do and Nina Ricci MP placed 17th on 66.735%.
The 2026 Asian Games are being contested under a mixed Dressage format for the first time, allowing both Small Tour and Big Tour combinations to compete.
Korea’s Shiwoo Kim and Sir Hubert NRW were the only Grand Prix combination in Friday’s competition and became the first to compete at the Asian Games under the new format. They scored 62.935%.
Japan complete the podium on home soil
Japan finished just over one percentage point behind Korea to secure Team bronze with 204.117%.
Shingo Hayashi and King Leatherdale O led the Japanese challenge with 69.294%.
Hayashi was the only member of the home team with previous Asian Games experience, with his three teammates all making their debut at the Games.
Ryuma Hieda and Vagabund 131 scored 67.529%, while Fumiyasu Nishiwaki and Fuerst William finished on 67.294%.
Japan previously won Asian Games Team Dressage gold on home soil in 1994 and again at Jakarta in 2018.
Defending team champions India, who won Dressage gold at the 2022 Asian Games, finished fourth.
Individual medals still to be decided
While the Team medals have now been settled, the Dressage competition is far from over, with the leading combinations separated by narrow margins.
Among the athletes competing without a team, Aleksandra Maksakova and So Secret produced the third-highest score of the day with 69.882%. Maksakova trains with Dutch Olympian Anne van Olst.
Chinese Taipei’s Hsiu-hua Yeh also enjoyed a strong opening day, recording a new personal best of 68.383% with Lorava to sit seventh in the Individual classification.
The second Individual qualifier takes place on Saturday, before the Asian Games Individual Dressage medals are decided in Sunday’s final.
Feature Image: China celebrate winning Team Dressage gold at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games in Tokyo. © FEI / Yusuke Nakanishi