Abuduaini Tuergong won the men’s discus gold at the Asian Games 2026, ending China’s 24-year wait for the title. Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi claimed her first major 10,000m title, while Uzbekistan’s Sharifa Davronova won the women’s triple jump. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson and China’s Chen Yujie emerged as the fastest sprinters in the men’s and women’s 100m preliminaries.
Nagoya (Japan), Sept 2026 : China’s Abuduaini Tuergong ended a 24-year wait for his country to reclaim the men’s discus gold at the Asian Games, producing a winning throw of 64.26 metres on his third attempt on Thursday.
The 29-year-old secured the title ahead of compatriot Wu Nanjun, who won silver with a best effort of 61.58m. Abuduaini, a two-time Asian Championships winner and former Chinese national record-holder, was visibly emotional after completing his winning performance.
“It’s been more than 20 years since China last won the title. Now we’ve brought it back,” Abuduaini said. He added that he planned to call his family and friends after returning to his hotel before getting some rest.
Abuduaini had won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. He said a significant increase in body weight since then had contributed to greater stability and improved performance.
“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.”
In the women’s 10,000m, Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi added another major title to her decorated career by winning gold in 32:39.18.
The Olympic and world champion in the 3,000m steeplechase was competing in the 10,000m for the first time in a competitive event. Despite the unfamiliar distance, Yavi controlled the race to secure the title.
“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.
Yavi indicated that she would gradually expand her focus from the steeplechase to the 5,000m and 10,000m events.
Uzbekistan’s Sharifa Davronova won the women’s triple jump with a personal-best effort of 14.35m. China’s Huang Yingying took silver, while compatriot Li Yi claimed bronze.
Bahrain also enjoyed success in the mixed 4x400m relay, with its quartet clocking 3:12.87 to set a new Asian Games record.
The men’s 100m preliminaries saw Thailand’s Puripol Boonson post the fastest time of the round, running a season-best 9.95 seconds. The 20-year-old said he had not expected to produce such a performance, having initially targeted a time around 10 seconds.
Boonson, the Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist, recorded his second sub-10-second performance of the season. His personal best is 9.94 seconds, set last year.
China’s Zeng Keli advanced after clocking 10.22 seconds in the same heat, while defending champion Xie Zhenye won his heat in 10.30 seconds to progress to the semifinals.
In the women’s 100m, 17-year-old Chinese sprinter Chen Yujie produced the fastest preliminary-round time, winning her heat in 11.41 seconds.
Chen, however, said she was not completely satisfied because she had targeted a time of 11.40 seconds or faster. She had set an Asian junior record of 11.08 seconds at a domestic championship in August, which was also the fastest women’s 100m time in Asia this season.
Defending champion Ge Manqi, another member of China’s sprint team, failed to progress after suffering leg cramps during the fourth heat. She finished in 12.13 seconds.
The day’s athletics programme therefore produced a mix of established champions, breakthrough performances and national milestones, with Abuduaini’s discus victory providing China with a particularly significant return to the top of the Asian Games podium.
