Sanya, China, April 26, 2026: The Chinese men’s relay team flipped the script on earlier individual disappointments, storming to victory in the 4 x 60m relay on the final day of beach athletics at the 6th Asian Beach Games.
Clocking 26.06 seconds, China secured the host nation’s second gold medal of the athletics program.
The victory served as the perfect antidote to earlier disappointment making them focus on team chemistry. In the individual 60m final, Thailand’s Puripol Boonson had dominated the field with a personal best of 6.62 seconds.
However, China’s relay success proved that grit and coordination could overcome raw individual talent.
The Chinese quartet controlled the pace from the gun with Huang Youchao delivering an explosive opening leg to take the lead. Li Mengyuan and Wang Xinkai executed flawless transitions to maintain the gap. And then anchor Ailikuti Yishake held off a late surge from the Thai challengers to break the tape.
Thailand followed in 26.68 seconds to claim silver, while Sri Lanka took the bronze in 27.57 seconds.
The difference for China was the efficiency of their hand exchanges. While Thailand boasted faster top-end speed, China’s transitions performed without batons in beach relay were significantly tighter.
“"We focused heavily on our exchanges,” said Huang, the individual 60m silver medallist. “That team coordination is what made the difference for us.”
Despite the relay loss, Thailand remains the powerhouse of short-track beach sprinting. Having swept both individual 60m titles and the women’s 4x60m relay (29.46s), they leave as the dominant force in Southeast Asia.
However, for the Chinese men, this gold was a vital psychological boost. China concluded their beach athletics campaign with a total of 13 medals (two gold, eight silvers and three bronze).