Day 2 - More record-breakers steal the show at Asian U20 Championships
HONG KONG—Day 2 of the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships turned into a showcase of brilliance, as three meet records tumbled and China tightened its grip on the medal tally with four more golds.
The loudest roar of the evening came when Suleiman Abdulrahman of the United Arab Emirates thundered down the track at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
His blistering 44.85-second run in the men’s 400m not only secured gold but obliterated the meet record of 45.53 set by China’s Ailixier Wumaier in 2024.
The 18-year-old also toppled Qatar’s formidable duo, Khala Ngare Mahamat and Youssouf Abdelaziz Djibrine, who settled for silver and bronze.
“I’m proud to achieve this for my country. My goal is to prove I can compete at the highest level,” Abdulrahman declared after his historic race, becoming the first athlete in meet history to break the 45-second barrier.
All eyes then shifted to the high jump pit, where Pooja Singh of India electrified the crowd. With a soaring leap of 1.93 meters, the 19-year-old from Haryana shattered a 20-year-old meet record and reset India’s national mark, eclipsing Svetlana Radzivil’s 1.90m (2006) and Sahana Kumari’s 1.92m (2012).
“This was for my family, my coaches, and for every young girl who dreams of flying higher than the limits set before her,” Singh said, her voice trembling with emotion as she celebrated her place in the record books.
Japan’s Jeremy Koga completed the record-breaking trio with a lightning-fast 13.05 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles, eclipsing the previous meet standard of 13.24 set by Qatar’s Oumar Doudai Abakar in 2024.
Koga edged compatriot Nana Ishihara (13.24) at the line, while Yi-xuan Chen of Chinese Taipei claimed bronze in 13.46.
China continued to lead the medal tally, adding four more golds through Yiqing Xie (women’s triple jump), Zhuoyue Wang (men’s triple jump), Yuxiao He (women’s shot put), and Keyi Zhang (women’s 100m hurdles), bringing their tally to eight.
India also celebrated victories beyond Singh’s heroics, with Nitin Gupta ruling the men’s 5000m race walk (19:47.49) and Amanat Kamboj taking gold in the women’s discus throw (52.24m).
Japan added another title courtesy of Rei Taya in the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
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