Fujian pair clinches beach volleyball gold at National Games

HONG KONG, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- The first Hong Kong-based gold medal of China's 15th National Games was decided at Victoria Park on Saturday evening, as Fujian pair Xue Chen and Zeng Jinjin claimed victory in the women's beach volleyball final with a 2-1 win over Nanjing's Yan Xu and Zhou Mingli.

Xue and Zeng hit the ground running in the opening set, securing a 21-15 win to take an early lead. Undeterred, the Nanjing pair quickly adjusted their tactics and rallied back with a dominant 21-13 performance to level the match and force a decider.

The final set saw intense back-and-forth action, with spectacular spikes and crucial saves thrilling the crowd. Fujian held their nerve to seal a 15-9 victory, clinching the first gold among the eight National Games events staged in Hong Kong.

"This is my third National Games, and it's Xue's sixth. The moment we stepped onto the court, our only goal was to give it our all," Zeng said afterwards. She noted that she and her partner had trained together for a year, adding that both have been dealing with injuries.

In the bronze medal match, Xinjiang's Wang Jingzhe and Xia Xinyi swept Jiangsu's Yuan Lvwen and Zhu Lingdi in straight sets to claim third place. ■