Asian Games Wrap-up: Thai trailblazer claims Asian Games sprint double in rainy Nagoya

NAGOYA: Thai athlete Puripol Boonson achieved a historic double at the Asian Games, winning gold in both the 100m and 200m sprints on a rainy track in Nagoya. The 20-year-old became the first Thai sprinter to break the 20-second barrier in the longer distance, finishing with a time of 19.88 seconds. This performance matched the seventh-year-old Asian record set by China's Xie Zhenye and solidified Puripol's place among the continent's most promising track talents ahead of next year's world championships in Beijing.

The young sprinter expressed his ambition to win more golds and set additional records, noting that he was significantly faster than his Chinese competitor Huang Youwen.

Meanwhile, China's javelin sensation Yan Ziyi claimed her first Asian Games gold with a throw of 70.46 meters, defeating Olympic champion and home favorite Haruka Kitaguchi. The event marked a significant loss for athletics, as former Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim withdrew due to injury, allowing Taiwan's Fu Chao-hsuan to secure the high jump title with a jump of 2.25 meters.

Other notable performances included Bahrain's Winfred Yavi winning the women's 3,000m steeplechase in 9:04.36, Singapore's Shanti Pereira retaining her women's 200m title with a time of 22.78 seconds, and Malaysia's Ng Eain Yow and Sivasangari Subramaniam winning back-to-back gold medals in the men's and women's singles squash events. The Malaysian pair became the first athletes to earn quota berths for squash's Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.