China's rowing team triumphs in the women's eight with coxswain event at the Hangzhou Asian Games. [Photo/CCTV]

Dong Xiya – a rower from Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – and her teammates clinched the gold medal in the women's eight with a coxswain event at the ongoing 19th Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept 25.

The triumphant Chinese team – comprising Dong Xiya, Zhang Shuxian, Yu Siyuan, Bao Lijun, Zhang Hairong, Liu Xiaoxin, Wang Zifeng, Xu Xingye, and Xu Xiaohan – finished the race in 6:33.61.

This was the first gold medal won by Lishui athletes in the Asian Games and was also the first gold won by one of the city's athletes since the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

Born in December 2001, Dong is an international-level sportswoman and a national rowing team athlete in the women's eight with coxswain event.

She joined the Lishui city team in 2016 and switched from track and field to rowing. Standing 1.85 meters tall, she joined the Zhejiang provincial rowing team in 2018 and was selected for the national rowing team in 2021.