Athletes compete in the men's 400 meters final at the National Games on November 18, 2025 in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: VCG

As the National Games enter the final stretch, eight gold medals were awarded in athletics on Tuesday, while top contenders faced off in the table tennis team events. 

The day also featured the breakdancing competition with Olympic  medalist Liu Qingyi being one of the highlights of the day.

In athletics, Hu Haoran and Liang Tiantian, both from Henan team, captured gold in the men's javelin and women's 5,000 meters ­respectively.

In the women's 400m, Liu Yinglan of Sichuan overtook Guangdong standout Mo Jiadie in the final meters to win her first major senior title in 51.75 seconds, with Mo taking silver in 51.87. In the men's 400 meters final, national record holder Liu Kai of Shandong claimed first place in 45.77 seconds, winning his first National Games gold. "To win in a field this strong, and in tough weather, means a lot," the 19-year-old said. Yu Shuiqing of Liaoning took the gold in the men's 5,000 meters final. 

In the men's hammer throw final, Wang Qi of Jiangsu won the gold medal, securing back-to-back titles following his victory at the National Games.

In the breakdancing competition, Henan's Liu captured the gold medal, fending off stiff competition from top contender Guo Pu of Shandong, who had previously defeated Liu to win the title at the World Games. Guo took silver this time, while Zhejiang's Zeng Yingying won bronze.

"Guo is an extremely talented and powerful athlete. Competing against this rising star has been a great experience and opportunity for growth," Liu told reporters after the match. 

"Breakdancing is attracting an increasing number of enthusiasts, and it's exciting to witness the growing recognition and popularity of the sport," she noted. 

As a leading figure in Chinese breaking, Liu has won multiple major honors, including China's first Olympic breakdancing medal at the 2024 Paris Games.

Guo also hailed Liu's performance at the National Games.

"I'm thrilled to have faced Qingyi in the final, this is a matchup the audience really loved watching," Guo told reporters. 

"She maintained an incredibly calm mind-set, and in the championship round, she showcased her moves and form brilliantly."

In badminton on Tuesday, the actions reached the semifinals, ­bringing together many of the sport's top names.

In the women's singles in Shenzhen, Zhejiang's Chen Yufei defeated Fujian's Han Yue 2-0 to advance to the finals. Wang Zhiyi of Hubei also moved on, beating Jiangsu's Gao Fangjie 2-0. 

In the men's doubles semifinals, Zhejiang team's star Wang Chang paired with Xie Haonan to beat the Fujian team 2-0.

Rounding out the day's marquee matches, Zhejiang's Olympic champion duo Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, one of the world's premier mixed doubles teams, cruised past Guangdong's Gao Jiaxuan and Chen Fanghui 2-0 to book their place in the final four.

Zheng mentioned that while his ultimate goal was to compete for the championship, the journey itself was just as important to him. 

"Being able to play all four matches and reach the final stage is already very fulfilling," he said. 

"The last match is my way of answering to myself, and I hope to give all the fans here an exciting game."

Table tennis reached the men's and women's team semifinal rounds at Macao's Galaxy Arena. 

In the men's semifinals, Beijing's lineup featuring six-time Olympic ­champion Ma Long, along with athletes Wang Chuqin and Huang Youzheng, swept Guangdong's Zhou Qihao, Lin Gaoyuan and Li Yijie 3-0, while Shanghai's Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin and Zhou Kai defeated Heilongjiang 3-0 in the men's team events. 

The final will see Shanghai face off against Beijing, promising a thrilling clash between several Olympic medalists.

In the women's team semifinals, the Hebei team, led by Sun Yingsha, He Zhuojia and Wang Tianyi swept the Heilongjiang team 3-0.