With all four Chinese team members inside the top 15, China dominates the Individual standings at the Asian Games. Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint (CHN) comfortably won today’s Intermediate I with 71.853%, moving them to the top of the overall standings. Her compatriot Jiayi Rao and Geniaal now sit second overall, while Dongheon Nam and Leonidas (KOR) occupy third place.
Yesterday’s Prix St Georges and Grand Prix, which also decided the Team medals, and today’s Intermediate I and Grand Prix Special both counted towards qualification for tomorrow’s Individual Freestyle final.
The scores from the two qualifying competitions were combined, with the top 15 combinations progressing to the final, subject to a maximum of two combinations per nation. Tomorrow’s Individual medals will be decided solely by the scores achieved in the Freestyle to Music.
China strengthens its grip
China already claimed Team gold yesterday and once again set the pace in today’s Individual competition. Jiayi Yu and Jackpoint came close to breaking the 72% barrier, winning the Intermediate I with 71.853%. The result marked another personal best for the pair, following their 70.265% in yesterday’s Prix St Georges.
Yu and Jackpoint are trained by World Championship silver medallist Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour.
Jiayi Rao and Geniaal finished fourth yesterday before scoring exactly 70.000% to place second today. Their two results moved the pair, who won double gold at the 2025 FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya (THA), into second place overall.
China’s Zhanzhao Gu and Shakespeare 82 and Yue Wu with Iggy Pop Bek also finished inside the top 15 of the overall standings. However, the limit of two combinations per nation means only Yu and Rao will represent China in tomorrow’s final.
Nam remains in medal contention
After winning yesterday’s Prix St Georges, Dongheon Nam (KOR) and Leonidas finished further down today’s Intermediate I standings with 68.147%. Their combined results nevertheless leave them in third place overall and firmly in medal contention ahead of the final.
Nam previously won Individual gold at the 2019 FEI Asian Championships in Pattaya.
His teammate Myeong Seok Lee, who helped Korea secure Team silver yesterday, scored 67.971% with Rossetti to finish eighth in today’s Intermediate I. The result also secured their place in the Freestyle final.
Aleksandra Maksakova (PLE) and So Secret moved down one position in the overall standings. They were third following yesterday’s Prix St Georges, but today’s score of 68.323% leaves them fourth overall and comfortably qualified for the Freestyle to Music. The combination trains with Anne van Olst.
Home hopes remain alive
Shingo Hayashi (JPN) and King Leatherdale O were once again the highest-placed home combination. They finished fifth in both qualifying tests, scoring 68.618% in today’s Intermediate I.
The experienced Hayashi also represented Japan at this same venue during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held in 2021, when he competed with Scolari 4.
Nynn Puttisombat (THA) and Rock That Tango made significant progress in today’s Intermediate I. Their score of 69.324% secured third place in the test and moved them into sixth position overall.
Hsiu-hua Yeh (TPE) and Lorava now sit seventh in the overall standings, while Ryuma Hieda (JPN) and Vagabund 131 complete the top 10. Hieda and Vagabund 131 recorded a new personal best of 67.765% today.
Medals decided in the Freestyle
The Individual Freestyle final begins tomorrow at 09:30 local time in Tokyo. The scores from the qualifying competitions will not be carried forward, meaning the Individual medals will be decided entirely by the performances in the Freestyle to Music.