Jakarta, Indonesia, September 1, 2018 - China defeated Thailand in straight sets to capture the women's gold medals at the 18th Asian Games volleyball competition at the GBK Tennis Indoor Stadium on Saturday. China's women's team will be among the favourites to win the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship when it takes place in Japan from September 29 to October 20.
The 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-13) victory added another title to China's collection, which previously included seven gold medals in the quadrennial continental sports event including four times in a row in 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand, 2002 in Busan, Korea, 2006 in Doha, Qatar and 2010 on home soil in Guangzhou. China missed out on the title in 2014 after losing to Korea in the final.
In the third-place playoff earlier, defending champions Korea, who succumbed to in-form Thailand in the semifinals, fought hard to defeat Japan in four sets 3-1 (25-17 23-25 25-19 25-20).
Saturday's final results7th-8th Playoff: Indonesia b Philippines 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 25-20)
5th-6th Playoff: Kazakhstan b Vietnam 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 26-24)
Bronze-Medal Match: Korea b Japan 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-15, 27-25)
Gold-Medal Match: China b Thailand 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-13)
Final rankings1. China
2. Thailand
3. Korea
4. Japan
5. Kazakhstan
6. Vietnam
7. Indonesia
8. Philippines
9. Chinese Taipei
10. India
11. Hong Kong China