South-east Asia posts best athletics showing at the Asian Games since 1978

NAGOYA – Lining up in the women’s 100m final at the Asian Games on Sept 25, Singaporean sprinter Shanti Pereira could not help but feel a sense of pride.

Not just because she was in the mix for a medal, but also because half of the eight-strong field were fellow South-east Asians.

Apart from Pereira, the final also featured Thailand’s Jirapat Khanonta and Sukanda Petraksa, as well as the Philippines’ Jessica Laurance.

It was the first time since the 1986 Asiad in Seoul that four sprinters from the region qualified for the women’s 100m final, signalling South-east Asia’s growing presence on the continental stage.

This trend was notable in several events at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium this past week, with South-east Asian athletes bringing home a commendable haul of five golds, three silvers and four bronzes as the athletics programme ended on Sept 29.

It was their best showing since the 1978 Games in Bangkok, where the region won five golds, three silvers and five bronzes.

Said Pereira, who won the 100m silver behind China’s Chen Yujie, before retaining her 200m title two days later. “I’m very honoured to be able to not just say that I’m one of them... for the 100m final, it was half South-east Asian, that’s incredible for an Asian final.

“We’re here to fight and we’re building ourselves, we’re growing. The SEA Games isn’t easy now and that’s an amazing thing to say – we are part of a new era of South-east Asian athletics, and I can’t wait to see it grow.”

It was at the 1962 Games in Jakarta that the region’s athletes posted their best showing of seven golds, five silvers and 15 bronzes, coinciding with an era that produced some exciting talents.

However, South-east Asia failed to make much impact between 1986 and 2023. Their best haul were at the 2006, 2018 and 2023 editions which each yielded two golds.

But in Nagoya, their athletes showed they are back in the reckoning with historic displays.

While 30-year-old Shanti became the first woman to win back-to-back Asian Games 200m gold, Puripol Boonson made history as just the fourth South-east Asian to win the Asiad sprint double.

The Thai youngster, at just 20, scorched to the 100m in a Games record 9.90sec before equalling the Asian record of 19.88sec to take the 200m crown.

He was also part of the quartet that picked up the mixed 4x100m silver on Sept 29 while his compatriot Joshua Atkinson clinched Thailand’s first 400m gold at the Games.

On the final day of the competition, Filipino Ernest Obiena retained his men’s pole vault title with a meet record of 5.91m, improving on his previous mark by 0.01m.

Puripol, 20, said: “I feel that South-east Asia’s sprinters can do really well in the 200m for both men and women.

“Thailand is also showing that we are strong in Asian competitions.”

Thailand’s Manatsada Sanmano, Supanich Poolkerd, Sukanda and Jirapat also claimed the women’s 4x100m silver, while Subenrat Insaeng took the women’s discus bronze.

South-east Asians also won three bronzes through the Philippines’ John Tolentino (men’s 110m hurdle) and Victoria Bossong (women’s 800m), as well as Vietnam’s 4x400m relay team.

Obiena believes that the region has always been competitive on this stage, adding: “I’m just happy we have the fastest guy in Asia right now, he’s ripping it and I can’t wait to see him in the circuit.

“There’s a few people asking why the Asians aren’t competing in the circuit in Europe. We just don’t get the spots like the European countries, the home countries, who get automatic entry, but if we are able to compete like what we’re doing, there’s going to be more successful athletes coming out of South-east Asia.”

China topped the athletics medal table once again with 17 golds, 14 silvers and eight bronzes, maintaining a streak stretching back to the 1986 Games.

They clinched three of the nine golds on offer on the final day of athletics, with Zhang Jiale setting an Asian record of 78.27m in the women’s hammer throw, Wu Hongjiao taking the women’s 800m in 2min 04.49sec and the mixed 4x100m team taking gold in 40.78sec.

The other gold medallists were Uzbekistan’s Barnokhon Sayfullaeva (women’s high jump), Japan’s Ko Ochiai (men’s 800m) and the men’s 4x400m team, Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew (men’s 5,000m) and India’s women’s 4x400m relay team.

Hosts Japan (10-12-10) were second in the standings, ahead of Bahrain (9-2-2) in third.

With a gold and silver, Singapore were tied-10th with the United Arab Emirates and wrapped up their campaign with a fourth-place in the mixed 4x100m relay team.

The quartet of Tate Tan, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Mark Lee and Pereira had clocked 41.66sec – a national record – to place fourth in the heats the day before.

Marc Louis, who withdrew from the 200m and men’s 4x100m events due to a hamstring strain, replaced Lee in the line-up for the final on Sept 29, and the quartet lowered the national mark with a 41.19sec run in the newly-introduced event at the Asiad.

After the disappointment of having to sit out of his previous two events, Louis was happy to be back in action.

The 24-year-old said: “We were having so much fun out there. It’s my first time running with them together, we all did a good job, fourth and new national record and getting being able to run with the fastest woman in Asia.

“I’m just happy to be able to come out of this healthy and you know being able to run the 4x100m with them.”

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