South-east Asian athletes delivered their strongest performance in athletics at the Asian Games since 1978, securing a total of five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals at the event held in Nagoya, Japan, which concluded on September 29.
The region’s notable progress was highlighted in the women’s 100-meter final on September 25, where four out of the eight finalists were from South-east Asia. Singapore’s Shanti Pereira, Thailand’s Jirapat Khanonta and Sukanda Petraksa, and the Philippines’ Jessica Laurence represented the region in a display of growing competitiveness on the continental stage. This marked the first occasion since the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul that so many sprinters from South-east Asia reached the women’s 100m final.
Pereira secured a silver medal in the 100m behind China’s Chen Yujie before successfully defending her 200m title two days later, becoming the first woman to win consecutive 200m golds at the Asian Games. Reflecting on the achievement, she expressed pride in the region’s progress and optimism for South-east Asian athletics’ future growth.
Thailand’s Puripol Boonson emerged as a standout athlete, making history as just the fourth South-east Asian to complete the sprint double at the Asian Games. The 20-year-old clocked a Games record of 9.90 seconds in the 100m and equaled the Asian record of 19.88 seconds in the 200m. He also contributed to Thailand’s mixed 4x100m relay silver medal on the final day. Additionally, Joshua Atkinson secured Thailand’s first-ever 400m gold at the Games.
The final day featured several other regional successes. Filipino pole vaulter Ernest Obiena retained his title with a meet record clearance of 5.91 meters. Thailand’s Manatsada Sanmano, Supanich Pooikerd, Sukanda Petraksa, and Jirapat Khanonta earned silver in the women’s 4x100m relay, while Subenrat Insaeong took bronze in the women’s discus. The Philippines’ John Tolentino and Victoria Bossong won bronze in the men’s 110m hurdles and women’s 800m, respectively, and Vietnam secured bronze in the 4x400m relay.
Obiena highlighted the region’s competitiveness at this level but noted challenges for Asian athletes in gaining access to international circuits in Europe, citing limited automatic entry compared to European competitors.
China maintained its dominance in athletics, topping the medal table with 17 gold, 14 silver, and eight bronze medals. The nation captured three golds on the closing day, including Zhang Jiale’s Asian record in the women’s hammer throw, Wu Hongjiao’s victory in the women’s 800m, and the mixed 4x100m relay team. Hosts Japan finished second overall, followed by Bahrain in third.
Singapore ended the athletics competition ranked tied for 10th place, earning one gold and one silver medal. Their mixed 4x100m relay team narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth but setting a new national record of 41.19 seconds. The team included Tate Tan, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Marc Louis, and Shanti Pereira, with Louis running for the first time alongside them after recovering from a hamstring strain.
The results signal a resurgence for South-east Asian athletics on the continental stage, marking a potential new era of competitive development for the region.