China defeated five-time defending champions Japan 73-71 on Sunday to win the first women’s Asia Cup basketball championship in more than ten years.
The victory halted Japan’s supremacy in the event, which dated back to Bangkok in 2013, and ruined the dream of the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist of making it six in a row.
Since its start in 1965, only Japan, China, and South Africa have won the Asia Cup.
Australia won bronze for the third time in a row after defeating New Zealand 81-59.
The four semi-finalists in the eight-team competition have qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifying tournament.
