China claimed Dressage Team gold for the first time in Asian Games history at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday.
The Chinese team delivered consistent performances at JRA Equestrian Park in Tokyo (JPN), securing the title with a total of 208.148% – almost three percentage points clear of the Republic of Korea. Host nation Japan took bronze.
China’s gold medal-winning team comprised Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint, Jiayi Rao and Geniaal, Zhanzhao Gu and Shakespeare 82, and Yue Wu and Iggy Pop Bek.
Nine teams competed, with 45 horse-and-Athlete combinations taking part. The Team medals were decided on Friday, but the close scores at the top of the Individual classification leave plenty at stake in Saturday’s second qualifier and Sunday’s final.
Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint recorded China’s highest score of 70.265%, a new personal best, which was the second-highest score of the day. The pair are trained by FEI Dressage World Championship 2026 silver medallist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.
China’s second-best combination, Jiayi Rao and Geniaal, were the fourth-highest scorers with 69.618%. The pair won the Individual and Freestyle titles at last year’s FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya (THA) and finished less than one percentage point behind Friday’s highest scorer, Korea’s Dongheon Nam.
Zhanzhao Gu and Shakespeare 82 also placed inside the top 10, scoring 68.265%. Yue Wu and Iggy Pop Bek finished 12th on 67.735%, making their result China’s drop score.
The Republic of Korea won silver with 205.265%. Every member of the Korean team was making their Asian Games debut.
Korea’s Nam achieved a new personal best of 70.559% with his 10-year-old gelding Leonidas. Nam won Individual gold at the 2019 FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya and heads into the remaining stages of this year’s competition in first place.
Myeongseok Lee and Rosetti also set a new personal best, scoring 67.971% to finish 10th. Fellow Korean combination Hyunwoo Do and Nina Ricci MP placed 17th with 66.735%.
The Asian Games are being contested in a mixed format for the first time in 2026, 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 the first to compete at the Asian Games, scoring 62.935%.
Japan claimed bronze on home soil with 204.117%, just over one percentage point behind Korea. Shingo Hayashi and King Leatherdale O recorded the team’s highest score of 69.294%. Hayashi was also the only member of the Japanese team to have competed at an Asian Games before, with all three of his teammates making their debut.
Japan won Team gold on home soil in 1994 and again at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. This year’s bronze adds another medal to the nation’s record at the Games. Ryuma Hieda and Vagabund 131 scored 67.529%, while Fumiyasu Nishiwaki and Fuerst William achieved 67.294%.
Meanwhile, India – the Dressage Team gold medallists at the 2022 Asian Games – finished just off the podium in fourth.
Among Athletes competing without a team, Aleksandra Maksakova (PLE) recorded the highest score. Maksakova, who trains with Anne van Olst, achieved 69.882% with So Secret – the third-highest score of the day.
Chinese Taipei’s Hsiu-hua Yeh lies seventh in the Individual classification after recording a new personal best of 68.383% with Lorava.
The second Individual qualifier takes place on Saturday, with the Individual final to follow on Sunday.