Malaysia Climb into Asian Games Top 10 as China, Japan and Korea Lead the Race
Wednesday's two golds lifted Malaysia to eighth on the Aichi-Nagoya medal table, while China built a big lead at the top.
Wednesday (23 September) was Malaysia's best day so far at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games. Golds from Taj Izrin Aiman (esports) and C. Shahmalarani (karate), plus an eFootball silver and two bronzes, moved Malaysia into the top 10 of the medal table.
According to Bernama, Malaysia ended the day eighth overall with 3 golds, 1 silver and 5 bronzes, for nine medals.
Wednesday's Malaysian medals
- Gold: Taj Izrin Aiman Taj Madira, Gran Turismo 7 (esports)
- Gold: C. Shahmalarani, women's under-50kg kumite (karate)
- Silver: Muhammad Hariz Hazmi Hakimin and Farish Luzman Muhammad Farid Sellekumar, eFootball (lost 4-2 on aggregate to Iran)
- Bronze: men's karate kata team (beat Vietnam)
- Bronze: Clement Ting Su Wei, wushu men's daoshu and gunshu combined (9.713 points)
There were also some near misses. Pang Pui Yee finished fourth in the women's jianshu and qiangshu with 9.710 points, just 0.003 behind Clement's bronze-winning score in the men's event. In the pool, Khiew Hoe Yean (1:48.58) and Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal (1:49.45) finished seventh and eighth in the men's 200m freestyle final.
China pull away at the top
At the top of the table, the Games are following the usual pattern, with China in front. Medal tables published during Wednesday afternoon showed:
| Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 46-47 | 19-20 | 10 | 75-77 |
| Japan | 15 | 23-24 | 26-27 | 64-66 |
| South Korea | 8 | 8 | 23-24 | 39-40 |
The ranges reflect tables updated at different times on 23 September, as events finished during the day.
China's lead has grown quickly. Aju Press reported on 22 September that China had 23 golds, Japan 8 and South Korea 5. Swimming has contributed a lot: on 23 September alone, China won five swimming golds, including Asian records from Peng Xuwei in the women's 200m backstroke (2:05.77) and the men's 4x200m freestyle relay (7:00.17), according to China.org.cn.
Host nation Japan is second on golds, with a large number of silvers and bronzes. Its golds that day included a Games record from Kojima Yumeki in the men's 400m individual medley (4:07.02). South Korea is third, with a high bronze count.
Where Malaysia fits
In the Wednesday afternoon snapshots, before the eFootball final ended, Malaysia was seventh on 3-0-5, ahead of Iran, Kuwait and Qatar on golds and behind Kazakhstan, Thailand and Hong Kong. By the end of the day, Bernama's count had Malaysia eighth on 3-1-5 as other nations added medals.
Medal table positions change a lot in the first week, and Malaysia's rank will move up or down as bigger sports reach their finals. The encouraging sign is that the three golds came early, from sports in which Malaysia is not traditionally strong.
Key takeaways
- Malaysia were eighth on the medal table after Wednesday with 3 golds, 1 silver and 5 bronzes.
- Taj Izrin (esports) and Shahmalarani (karate) won golds on 23 September.
- China lead clearly, with Japan second and South Korea third.
- Wushu's Pang Pui Yee missed a bronze by fine margins, finishing fourth.
FAQ
Where are Malaysia on the medal table? Eighth after 23 September's events, according to Bernama, with nine medals (3-1-5).
Who is leading the Asian Games medal table? China, well ahead of hosts Japan, with South Korea third.
Why do different medal tables show slightly different numbers? They were updated at different times while events were still finishing. Check the official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 results for the latest figures.
Sources: Bernama, Malay Mail, Aju Press, China.org.cn, Vajiram & Ravi, Whereig