Asian Games: Abuduaini ends China's 24-year wait for men's discus gold
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Nagoya (Japan), Sep 24 : Abuduaini Tuergong won the men's discus title at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday, ending a 24-year wait for China to reclaim the gold medal in the event.
Abuduaini threw 64.26 metres on his third attempt to take the title, while his compatriot Wu Nanjun finished second with 61.58m.
The 29-year-old, a two-time Asian championships winner who broke the Chinese national record several times last year, was visibly emotional after the victory.
"It's been more than 20 years since China last won the title. Now we've brought it back," Abuduaini said. "I'll call my family and friends when I get back to my hotel, and then have a good sleep."
Abuduaini took bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. He said gaining more than 20 kilograms since then had helped improve his performance, reports Xinhua.
"I weighed around 113 to 114 kilograms in 2023, and now I'm 140 kilograms," he said. "I made that sacrifice to improve my performance. Adding more than 20 kilograms has made me more stable in all aspects."
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi, the Olympic and world champion in the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase, won the women's 10,000 metres in 32 minutes and 39.18 seconds for her first international major title over the distance.
The race was Yavi's first competitive 10,000 meters.
"It feels so special because it's my first 10k at the Asian Games and I did it for the first time in my life in a competition," Yavi said. "It felt so good, entering such an event and getting a gold medal."
Yavi said she would gradually shift her focus from the steeplechase to the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Uzbekistan's Sharifa Davronova won the women's triple jump with a personal-best 14.35 metres, with China's Huang Yingying taking silver and compatriot Li Yi bronze.
Bahrain's quartet won the mixed 4x400-metre relay in an Asian Games-record 3:12.87.
In the men's 100 metres, Thailand's Puripol Boonson ran a season-best 9.95 seconds to top the preliminary heats. "I am extremely happy now because I never expected to reach this result," the 20-year-old said. "My initial goal was around 10 seconds."
It was Boonson's second sub-10-second run of the season. He set his personal best of 9.94 seconds last year.
The Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist said he was confident ahead of the final and hoped to win gold for Thailand. China's Zeng Keli, who ran in the same heat as Boonson, advanced in 10.22 seconds. Defending champion Xie Zhenye won another heat in 10.30 seconds and also progressed to the semifinals.
In the women's 100 metres, 17-year-old Chinese sprinter Chen Yujie won the first heat in 11.41 seconds to post the fastest time in the preliminaries.
Chen said she was not satisfied with the result after having targeted 11.40 seconds or faster before the race.
"Before the race, I had a conversation with the coach. I estimated that I would aim for a time of 11.40 seconds or less," she said.
Chen set an Asian junior record of 11.08 seconds at a domestic championship in August, also the fastest women's 100-meter time in Asia this season.
Defending champion Ge Manqi, another member of China's team, suffered leg cramps during the fourth heat and finished in 12.13 seconds, failing to advance.
Abuduaini threw 64.26 metres on his third attempt to take the title, while his compatriot Wu Nanjun finished second with 61.58m.
The 29-year-old, a two-time Asian championships winner who broke the Chinese national record several times last year, was visibly emotional after the victory.
"It's been more than 20 years since China last won the title. Now we've brought it back," Abuduaini said. "I'll call my family and friends when I get back to my hotel, and then have a good sleep."
Abuduaini took bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. He said gaining more than 20 kilograms since then had helped improve his performance, reports Xinhua.
"I weighed around 113 to 114 kilograms in 2023, and now I'm 140 kilograms," he said. "I made that sacrifice to improve my performance. Adding more than 20 kilograms has made me more stable in all aspects."
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi, the Olympic and world champion in the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase, won the women's 10,000 metres in 32 minutes and 39.18 seconds for her first international major title over the distance.
The race was Yavi's first competitive 10,000 meters.
"It feels so special because it's my first 10k at the Asian Games and I did it for the first time in my life in a competition," Yavi said. "It felt so good, entering such an event and getting a gold medal."
Yavi said she would gradually shift her focus from the steeplechase to the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Uzbekistan's Sharifa Davronova won the women's triple jump with a personal-best 14.35 metres, with China's Huang Yingying taking silver and compatriot Li Yi bronze.
Bahrain's quartet won the mixed 4x400-metre relay in an Asian Games-record 3:12.87.
In the men's 100 metres, Thailand's Puripol Boonson ran a season-best 9.95 seconds to top the preliminary heats. "I am extremely happy now because I never expected to reach this result," the 20-year-old said. "My initial goal was around 10 seconds."
It was Boonson's second sub-10-second run of the season. He set his personal best of 9.94 seconds last year.
The Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist said he was confident ahead of the final and hoped to win gold for Thailand. China's Zeng Keli, who ran in the same heat as Boonson, advanced in 10.22 seconds. Defending champion Xie Zhenye won another heat in 10.30 seconds and also progressed to the semifinals.
In the women's 100 metres, 17-year-old Chinese sprinter Chen Yujie won the first heat in 11.41 seconds to post the fastest time in the preliminaries.
Chen said she was not satisfied with the result after having targeted 11.40 seconds or faster before the race.
"Before the race, I had a conversation with the coach. I estimated that I would aim for a time of 11.40 seconds or less," she said.
Chen set an Asian junior record of 11.08 seconds at a domestic championship in August, also the fastest women's 100-meter time in Asia this season.
Defending champion Ge Manqi, another member of China's team, suffered leg cramps during the fourth heat and finished in 12.13 seconds, failing to advance.
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Note: The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the ap7am team.