Olympic and world champions Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun stole the show as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also won gold medals at the Asian Canoe Confederation Canoe Sprint Asian Championships. 

The Chinese duo, who have not lost a single race since teaming up for the first time in 2019, took the women's canoe double 500m title at the Yaohu International Aquatic Sports Centre.  

They were 2.03 faster than the Vietnamese duo of Thi Huong Nguyen and Diep Thi Huong in 2:11.72, while bronze went to Lali Herlin and Sella Monim of Indonesia.  

The hosts' domination was halted on the last day of the competition in Nanchang. In the mixed kayak double 500m final, Olga Shmelyova and Artyom Terechenko won a gold medal for Kazakhstan, finishing in 1:50.44.  

They were 1.93 faster than China's Zhang Wen and Feng Yazhen, with the bronze going to Jung Wonjune and Byun Eunjeong of Korea in 1:52.72. 

The men's canoe four 500m gold went to Vietnam in what was a nail-biter. Their crew clinched the title by 0.18, with China taking silver in 1:50.54 and Kazakhstan settling for bronze.  

Shmelyova added to hers and Kazakhstan's tally by winning the women's kayak double 500m gold medal with multiple-time Asian champion Irina Podoinikova. 

The duo crossed the line in 1:57.22, followed by Deng Meiyi and Huang Jieyi of China and Juri Urada and Maya Hosomi of Japan.  

Olympian and three-time Asian Games champion Zhang Dong continued his form on the final day as well, winning the men's kayak single 500m title before leading the Chinese to victory in the men's kayak four 500m.  

Dong clocked 1:50.17 for the K1 500m gold, with Bekarys Ramatulla of Kazakhstan and Ali Aghamirzaeijenaghrad of Iran taking silver and bronze, respectively. 

E Sultangaziev was sensational in the men's K1 200m

The men's K4 500m final saw Korea finish second and Japan third.  

The men's kayak single 200m was among the best races of the championships, as E Sultangaziev captured the imagination of the crowd. 

He cruised to victory in 37.05, with Thailand's Praison Busamrong taking silver in 37.72 and Fengwei Liang of China settling for bronze.  

Herlin and Monim finished the proceedings in style, edging Li Shuqi and Xue Lina of China for the women's canoe double 200m gold. They were 0.95 faster than the hosts, with bronze going to Nguyen and Huong. 

Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games gold medallist Wang Nan of China took the women's kayak single 500m in 2:03.15. Uzbekistan's Arina Tanatmisheva and Singaporean Chen Stephenie won silver and bronze, respectively.  

Nan also won the women's kayak single 200m title in 45.07, with Stephenie finishing with silver and Shmelyova taking bronze.  

Aghamirzaeijenaghrad combined with Peyman Ghavidel Siah Sofiani to take the men's kayak double 500m title. Kazakhstan won the women's K4 500m title, with Mengya adding the women's canoe single 200m gold medal. 

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