Nagoya-2026 Start: Kazakhstan wins 4 golds, and Uzbekistan claims its first medal in karate

The opening day of the 20th Summer Asian Games, which solemnly commenced in Nagoya, Japan, delivered fierce competition and unexpected results. By the end of the first day's matches, athletes from a total of 27 countries on the continent managed to secure at least one medal. As expected, China, Japan, and South Korea immediately took the lead in the medal tally race. While China clearly took 1st place with 11 golds, host nation Japan secured 6, and South Korea bagged 4 gold medals.

However, the main sensation of the day was delivered by our close neighbor Kazakhstan's delegation: the sporting community was amazed when they secured 6 medals on the very first day, 4 of which were gold—whereas, in the previous Asian Games, Kazakhstan won its first medal only on the 4th day. The first medal for the Uzbekistan delegation was delivered by our 18-year-old talented karateka Humoyunmirzo Khalimov; thanks to his silver medal, our representatives are currently sharing 16th place with Qatar. Other representatives of Central Asia—Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan—each claimed a bronze medal.

So, will Kazakhstan's furious start keep them in the top four, and what position will Uzbek athletes rise to in the overall team standings once wrestling, boxing, and judo competitions begin?

"A rain of golds and Khalimov's heroism": Chronicle of Nagoya-2026 Day 1

Main events and turning points on the first day of the 20th Asian Games:

• Absolute leadership from China: Athletes from the Middle Kingdom amassed 11 gold, 6 silver, and 3 bronze (20 in total) medals on Day 1 alone, taking a commanding lead;

• High efficiency from Kazakhstan: Our neighbors reached 4 finals and won all of them (4 golds)—Alexey Lutsenko and Rinata Sultanova in cycling, and Bigabil Jolaman and Sofiya Berulseva in karate became Asian champions;

• Historic silver from Humoyunmirzo Khalimov: The 18-year-old Uzbek karateka fought his way through fierce bouts to the final, putting the first medal for Uzbekistan on the board in Nagoya;

• Hosts lagging behind: Although Japan is tied with China in total medal count (20), it is trailing by nearly double in terms of gold quality (6);

• Central Asian contingent: The national teams of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan also actively entered the fray, ending Day 1 with 1 bronze medal each.

20th Asian Games (Nagoya-2026): Medal table after Day 1 results

Performances of leading countries and Central Asian teams:

Sports Expertise: Why this is only the beginning and when Uzbekistan will rise

Analysis by international sports commentators and experts regarding the start in Nagoya:

• Kazakhstan's phenomenal leap: The strong lineup of the Kazakh team in cycling and karate yielded maximum results on the first day; however, whether they remain in the top four depends on upcoming combat sports events;

• The future of Humoyunmirzo Khalimov: Competing and winning silver in the adult Asian Games final at age 18 proves that a new generation of the Uzbek karate school has been formed;

• Uzbekistan's "gold reserve" is ahead: First-day indicators are no cause for concern; events in boxing, judo, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo are just beginning, where major gold medals are expected;

• China and Japan duel: The hosts winning numerous silvers and bronzes sets the stage for China to pull away significantly in gold count.

The opening day of the Asian Games in Nagoya signaled fierce competition, and great victories involving Uzbek athletes lie ahead.

In your opinion, will the Uzbekistan national team break into the top five in the overall team standings at these Asian Games? In which sport and from whom do you expect the first gold medal? Leave your thoughts in the comments and share the latest sports news regarding the Nagoya-2026 competitions with all your friends and fans!