THE Guangdong duo of Ni Xulin, from Shenzhen, and Nie Yide clinched the gold medal in the men’s double sculls rowing final at the 15th National Games yesterday, with a time of 4:36.49. This victory marks the first gold for both Guangdong and Shenzhen since the Games officially opened Sunday night.

The rowing competitions are being held at the Guangdong International Rowing Center. A total of 20 teams competed in the men’s double sculls event. During the heats Nov. 7, Ni and Nie topped their group to advance directly to the semifinals. They continued their strong form Nov. 8, winning their semifinal group to secure a place in the final.

In the medal race, the Guangdong pair started in lane 3 and moved to the front within the opening 500 meters, maintaining their lead all the way to the finish and securing a clear victory.

Ni, a current member of the Chinese national rowing team, joined the Guangdong provincial team in 2016. Among his major achievements are gold medals in the double sculls at the 2015 Asian Rowing Championships and the men’s coxless four at the 2022 edition.

He also won national titles at the Chinese National Rowing Championships for eight consecutive years, from 2015 to 2022. (SD News)