Japan's Tetsuya Isozaki and Yurie Seki have taken 470 gold at the Asian Games, holding off a determined chase that wasn't settled until the final Medal Race.
The pair, sailing as JPN 22, led for most of the regatta. They won five of the ten races and finished five points clear of the silver medallists, a result that will sting slightly less than their fourth place at the 470 World Championships in Enoshima just over a month earlier.
For Isozaki, it's familiar territory. He's represented Japan at the Asian Games multiple times, in the Optimist in 2006, the 420 in 2010, and the Men's 470 in 2018. This gold, following his earlier win in Jakarta, is his second Asian Games title.
Seki, by contrast, was making her Asian Games debut. A strong one.
Their win says something about where 470 sailing is heading across Asia. Established campaigners like Isozaki can still win, but younger crews are starting to push into medal contention, and more nations are becoming competitive. That depth is exactly what the class needs heading into future Olympic cycles.
Behind the Japanese, Republic of Korea's Kim Changju and Lee Gyeongjin claimed silver, winning the final Medal Race themselves to secure second overall. China's Dong Wenju and Xiao Hailun climbed to third, edging out Thailand's Navee Thamsoontorn and Nichapa Waiwai by just two points. The Thai pair had held third going into the last day, so that late shuffle will sting.
Nine countries sent sailors to the regatta, including Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
That spread of nations, and how tight the racing was at the pointy end, shows where the 470 class is tracking in this part of the world. The traditional powers no longer have it to themselves, and the road to Olympic qualification out of Asia looks set to get harder from here.
