Relay fireworks close Asian U20 Championships in record-smashing style
HONG KONG—The curtain fell on the 22nd Asian U20 Athletics Championships in spectacular fashion, as five nations tore through the men’s 4x400m relay in record‑breaking style to cap four days of high‑octane competition at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground.
China led the charge, with Ye Weixin, Li Yongjie, Yang Jia, and Xu Xinlong combining for a blistering 3:04.88 for the gold medal, erasing the long‑standing meet record of 3:07.38 set by Japan in 1999.
Qatar’s quartet of Mahamat Abdallah Abdelsadick, Mohammed Musa Musa, Samir Moussa Hassan, and Youssouf Abdelaziz Djibrine followed close behind in 3:05.06, also under the old standard.
India’s Piyush Raj, Sayed Sabeer, Ranjith Kumar, and Mohammed Ashfaq matched the feat with 3:05.06, completing a podium where all three medalists eclipsed the previous mark.
Sri Lanka (3:05.60) and Thailand (3:06.82) joined the record‑breaking party, underscoring the depth and rising strength of Asia’s next generation.
China’s victory sealed a commanding overall performance, topping the medal tally with 14 gold, 9 silver, and 2 bronze medals out of 45 finals. India finished second with a 10‑5‑4 haul, while Japan (5‑5‑8), the United Arab Emirates (5‑0‑1), and Qatar (3‑4‑3) rounded out the top five.
The final day also produced standout champions: Kazakhstan’s Maxim Sazhnez (men’s discus), India’s Muskan Muskan (women’s 5000m), China’s Morong Liang (women’s long jump), Uzbekistan’s Rusian Sadullaev (men’s javelin), Japan’s Hanon Sasaki (women’s 800m), India’s Venkatram Reddy Mogali (men’s 800m), and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Pei‑hsuan, who compiled 4,730 points to win the women’s heptathlon.
Relay fireworks continued as China’s Zhang Keyi, Zhou Zhenglin, Zhang Qian, and Chen Xinxuan ruled the women’s 4x100m in 44.78s, while Korea’s Choi Myungjin, Kim Dongjin, Choi Seongwon, and Jun Chaemin stormed to men’s 4x100m gold in 39.75s.
India’s women capped their campaign with Bhumika Sanjay Nehate, Tahura Khatun, Sehnoor Bawa, and Neeru Pathak clinching the 4x400m relay in 3:38.07.
In all, eight meet records fell, a resounding testament to the rising caliber of Asia’s under‑20 athletes and a thrilling preview of the continent’s athletic future.
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