Puripol Boonson Targets Asian Games 100m Gold in Nagoya
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
NAGOYA: Thailand’s Puripol Boonson is aiming to challenge for the Asian Games 100-metre gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya after arriving in Japan in strong form.
Boonson, who won silver in the 100m at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, enters this year’s competition after recording a time of 9.99 seconds at a race in the Czech Republic last month.
The Thai sprinter made history in December by becoming the first athlete from Southeast Asia to run the 100m in under 10 seconds, clocking 9.94 seconds in Thailand.
Boonson was only 17 when he finished second at the Hangzhou Games behind China’s Xie Zhenyi. The Chinese sprinter could once again be among his main challengers in Nagoya.
The Thai athlete has also enjoyed success at home, winning both the 100m and 200m titles at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. He will now look to add an Asian Games gold medal to his achievements.
Kitaguchi, Yan Set for Javelin Contest
Japan’s Olympic javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi will attract attention in the women’s event, where she is expected to face strong competition from China’s 18-year-old Yan Ziyi.
Kitaguchi became the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic field event when she claimed gold at the Paris Games.
Yan has emerged as a major force in the event this season. She recorded a throw of 71.74 metres in Xiamen in May, making it the second-longest throw in history, and has won five Diamond League events this year.
The current world record stands at 72.28 metres, set by Czech athlete Barbora Spotakova.
Barshim Defends High Jump Title
Bahrain’s Mutaz Barshim will defend his men’s high jump title in Nagoya as he targets another Asian Games gold medal.
The former Olympic champion has already won the event at the Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.
His Bahraini teammate Winfred Yavi will also be aiming for another title in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase after winning gold at the previous two Asian Games.
Yavi is also scheduled to compete in the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m events as she looks to compete across three distances.
In the women’s discus throw, China’s Feng Bin enters the competition after winning her first Diamond League title in Brussels this month with a throw of 67.46 metres. She also won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
