China Wins Asian Games Identity V Gold as Mu Xinyue Makes Esports History

China defeated host nation Japan to win gold in Identity V Asian Games Version at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with Mu Xinyue becoming the first woman to win an Asian Games esports gold medal.

The final was decided in a fifth round after Japan repeatedly kept the match level. Mu, who competes as Tao Wan'an, was the only woman in China's esports delegation and earned the milestone as part of the seven-player roster that secured the title on September 30.

The gold-medal match began with little separating the two teams. China and Japan drew the opening rounds 4-4 and 5-5 before China produced the first decisive result of the final, winning the third round 7-2.

Japan prevented the match from ending there by forcing another 4-4 tie in round four. Play was interrupted between the two halves of that round by an on-site network cable problem, resulting in a technical stoppage of almost 30 minutes before competition resumed.

The title then moved to a decisive fifth round, where China took a 3-1 lead in the opening half. That advantage was enough to secure the gold. China's roster consisted of hunters Shi Xiangwei and Sun Le alongside survivors Lu Shujia, Chen Mingming, Lu Yahui, Fan Siqi and Mu.

Mu's place on the winning team created a new milestone for esports at the Asian Games.

The 20-year-old became the first female athlete to win gold in an Asian Games esports event since competitive gaming became an official medal sport at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Mu was also the only woman among China's 23 esports athletes at Aichi-Nagoya. Registration data for the Games showed more than 500 competitors across the esports programme, with only 14 women.

After the victory, Mu said she had never imagined reaching the Asian Games podium when she first began competing and described receiving the gold medal as potentially the happiest moment of her life.

Her result came in a mixed-gender event rather than a separate women's competition, with selection and competition conducted within the same national roster.

Identity V Asian Games Version made its medal-event debut at Aichi-Nagoya, adding another title to an esports programme that expanded from seven events at Hangzhou to 11 in 2026.

China entered four of those events and finished its campaign with three gold medals and one silver. Alongside the Identity V title, China won gold in Naraka: Bladepoint and Honor of Kings, while taking silver in Game for Peace Asian Games Version.

The Identity V victory gave China another major result, but Mu's place on the roster made it historic beyond the medal table. She leaves Aichi-Nagoya as the first woman to stand atop an Asian Games esports podium.