Chen Guangqin and his teammates celebrate after finishing first in the men's Canoe TBR 200m final at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, on Aug 25. [Photo by Veri Sanovri/Xinhua]

Zhanjiang athlete Chen Guangqin made history along with his teammates by earning the first gold in the men's Canoe Traditional Boat Race (TBR) for China during the 200m final at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, on Aug 25.

It was a intense match that saw the Chinese Taipei team tail the Chinese team closely before the latter made it to extend the edge and crossed the finish line first with a time of 50.832 seconds.

Chinese Taipei followed suit, clocking a time of 51.358 seconds. Thailand came third with a time of 52.622 seconds.

Although his team was confident that it would win based on its usual training performance, it is still a thrilling experience to have the gold medal hung around neck, said Chen.

The Chinese team (R) competes in the men's Canoe TBR 200m final at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, on Aug 25. [Photo by Veri Sanovri/Xinhua]

Rowers from China (Front), Chinese Taipei (2nd from Front), Indonesia, and Myanmar (Back) compete in the men's Canoe TBR 200m final at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia, on Aug 25. [Photo by Veri Sanovri/Xinhua]