After the drama and last gasp victories seen last night in hockey and football, it appeared too much to ask for similar excitement tonight, but basketball, a sport prone to changes in momentum like almost no other, provided exactly that.

South Korea, seeking to win their first gold medal in the event since Busan 2002, led after each of the first two quarters but were pegged back in the third, as Iran took the narrowest of 61-58 leads into the final quarter.

Here the tension continued to ebb and flow, but, with little over two minutes left, Iran, who were competing in their first ever Asian Games basketball final, took a 75-70 lead.

Then the comeback began, as Yang Dong-geun's three-pointer was followed by a three-point play by Kim Jong-kyu, who converted his free throw after getting fouled with 36.3 seconds remaining.

Moon Tae-jong, a naturalised South Korean born to an African-American father and a South Korean mother, then added three further free throws and, although Iran were quickly on target to reduce the deficit, they then missed an audacious three point attempt to snatch back gold.

When the ball then sailed out of play for a 79-77 victory, the game was over and there were wild celebrations as the host nation added another memorable win to their triumphs in baseball and football earlier in the Games.

For Iran, this followed more heartbreak earlier in the day where they lost both the men's and women's finals in kabaddi against India, with the Indians overcoming an eight point deficit to win the men's event 27-25 and continue their unbeaten Asian Games record in the sport.

Contrasting emotions following the kabaddi final between India and Iran ©AFP/Getty Images




But Iran made amends in the final event of the evening, living up to their favourites tag to dispatch Japan and take the volleyball title 28-26, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19 and complete a superb two weeks in which the team also finished in a highly creditable sixth place at the World Championship.

While Iran enjoyed mixed fortunues, the success for Kazakh boxers was almost unanimous as the central Asian nation emerged triumphant in six of the seven men's boxing finals they competed in.

This included the five heaviest categories, with super-heavyweight Ivan Dychko completing the job by defeating Iranian Jassem Delavari in the final bout of the Games.

Elsewhere, there was a first Asian Games gold medal for 12 years for Sri Lanka, as they eased to victory over Afghanistan in the men's cricket final, while Cambodia earned their first ever gold at the continental event, courtesy of under 73 kilogram taekwondo player, Sorn Seavmey.

Sorn Seavmey celebrates a historic gold medal for Cambodia ©AFP/Getty Images



Despite their disappointing absence from the basketball final, there was the usual dose of Chinese success, with two wins apiece in table tennis and modern pentathlon, as well as in diving, where the nation continued their remarkable record of having won every gold medal in the sport for 44 years.

One did slip away, however, in table tennis, where North Korean world champions Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong outclassed their Hong Kong opponents Jiang Tianyi and Lee Ho Ching 3-2 in the final, after both Chinese pairs had exited at the quarter-final stage.

China will be hoping for success in the singles competition on the final day here tomorrow, where table tennis will be one of three sports offering medals, along with karate and soft tennis.

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