China on track to top athletics medal table

Despite facing formidable competition from Japan, Bahrain, and India, China remains the favorite to top the athletics medal table at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Since 1986, China has led track and field's medal standings at every Asian Games. However, the chasing pack has been closing the gap in recent editions. Five years ago in Jakarta, China tied with Bahrain, with each securing 12 gold medals. India was second with seven, followed by Japan with six.

Athletics' 48 medal events in Hangzhou are scheduled from Sept 29 to Oct 5 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium. The Chinese Athletics Association projects China will collect between 13 and 15 golds.

China's 62-member track and field squad is particularly strong in women's events. Tokyo Olympics champion Gong Lijiao, fresh from her eighth world championship medal (a bronze) in Budapest, is favored to secure her third consecutive Asian Games gold in the women's shot put. Compatriot Song Jiayuan could join Gong on the podium after making the final in Budapest.

Feng Bin, the women's discus thrower who won bronze at the Budapest worlds and gold at this year's Diamond League meet in Xiamen, Fujian province, is another of China's top medal contenders.

After finishing second five years ago, Feng has improved her personal best to 69.12 meters, a distance that won her a world championship title in Oregon in 2022. Despite not defending her title in Budapest, Feng's consistent performances position her well ahead of her Asian rivals.

In other events, hammer thrower Wang Zheng is aiming for her maiden Asian Games gold, while Lyu Huihui and Olympic champion Liu Shiying will vie for glory in the women's javelin throw. The Chinese pair's chances have significantly improved given the absence of world champion Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan from the games.

There were no medals for China's race walkers in Budapest, but the Asian Games offer a shot at redemption. With veteran Liu Hong not participating in Hangzhou, the spotlight falls on Yang Jiayu, the 2017 world champion, and Ma Zhenxia. Both are expected to excel in the women's 20 km, an event in which Yang holds the world record (1:23:49).

With legend Su Bingtian giving the games a miss due to fitness reasons, China's sprinters, led by Xie Zhenye, the men's 200m national record holder, will face stiff competition from Japan, Thailand, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Japan's 100m worlds finalist Abdul Hakim Sani Brown won't be competing in Hangzhou, but the country still boasts formidable sprinters in Yoshihide Kiryu and Yuki Koike.

Indeed, fans at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium are in for a real treat. The athletics field is packed with global stars, including world champions Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Neeraj Chopra of India, who are likely to dominate the men's high jump and javelin throw, respectively.

Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who has rivaled Swedish world-record holder Armand Duplantis throughout the season, is also expected to star in Hangzhou. Obiena is the first Asian to clear the 6-meter mark in the sport.

Xinhua