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Rain had been falling over Ordos for much of the afternoon of July 9, and there were quiet worries it might linger into the evening. But as the gates of the Ordos Municipal Sports Development Center Stadium opened, the clouds parted, and the Opening Ceremony of the 1st Asian U23 Athletics Championships unfolded under a clear evening sky and warm sunshine — as if the city itself had cleared the stage for its guests.

There was a real sense of celebration in the air. The Yijin Ensemble's stirring rendition of "The Galloping Horse" and a graceful Wine Cup Dance filled the stadium with the warmth of Inner Mongolian tradition, before the screening of "Meet in Ordos, Youth Chasing the Wind" set the tone for what was to come. As the national anthem of the People's Republic of China rang out, the stands fell into a proud hush.

MIAO Chengyu, Vice Mayor of the Ordos Municipal People's Government and representative of the Local Organizing Committee, welcomed the athletes with genuine warmth, followed by heartfelt remarks from Gen. Dahlan Al-Hamad, President of Asian Athletics. An athletes' representative then took the oath on behalf of every competitor in the stadium, before Suhe, Vice Chairman of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, declared the Championships officially open to loud applause. As the Asian Athletics flag was raised into the night sky, it was hard not to feel that something special was beginning.

Organized under the Chinese Athletics Association together with the Ordos Local Organizing Committee, the Championships mark the first edition of a brand-new age-group event on the continental calendar, drawing national federations from across Asia and underlining the growing depth of the region's athletics pipeline.

Competition began in earnest on day one, with nine finals already crowning the Championships' first champions:

• Men's 100m: Muhammad Azeem MOHD FAHMI (MAS) took gold in 10.17, ahead of Falah Hasan AL-KHAZAALI (IRQ, 10.21 PB) and Salah Nur I A YUNIS (QAT, 10.23 PB).
• Women's 3000m Steeplechase: Yiting YANG (CHN) won in 10:14.68, with compatriot Yuxin LIU (10:25.51) and India's Prachi Ankush DEVKAR (10:32.69) completing the podium.
• Men's 5000m: Rui SUZUKI (JPN) crossed first in 14:01.24, followed by Shivaji Parashuram MADAPPAGOUDRA (IND, 14:08.19) and Vinod SINGH (IND, 14:23.67).
• Men's Discus Throw: Zhixin LI (CHN) threw a personal-best 60.79m for gold, with Zehao JIANG (CHN, 59.60m) and Bhartpreet SINGH (IND, 52.91m) taking silver and bronze.
• Men's Hammer Throw: Zixu LI (CHN) won with 71.47m, edging Ayyubkhon FAYOZOV (UZB, 71.16m) and Zheng XU (CHN, 68.59m).
• Women's Hammer Throw: Ziyi WANG (CHN) claimed gold with 71.04m, ahead of Ling FANG (CHN, 70.88m PB) and Japan's Raika MURAKAMI (68.83m PB).
• Mixed 4x400m Relay: India stormed to gold in a personal-best 3:18.64, narrowly holding off China (3:18.74) and the Philippines (3:25.28 PB).
• Women's Pole Vault: Lingxia WEI (CHN) cleared 4.20m for the win, with Japan's Sora MURATA (4.10m) and Mitsuki KOBAYASHI (4.00m) taking silver and bronze.
• Men's Triple Jump: Yinglong MA (CHN) leapt a personal-best 17.11m for gold, ahead of Ibrohim MAKHKAMOV (UZB, 16.34m) and Kim DONGHYUK (KOR, 16.08m).

The Decathlon also got underway, with the men completing five of its ten gruelling disciplines — 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, and 400m — setting the standings ahead of the concluding five events (110m Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, and 1500m) on day two.

More action, and more of Ordos, follows tomorrow.