Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi wins women’s 5,000m for historic triple-gold at Asian Games

NAGOYA – Raising a fist in the air, Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi lay down on the rain-soaked track at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium, chest heaving as exhaustion took over.

On Sept 28, the 26-year-old produced a late burst of energy to pull clear of Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka (15:11.65) and power down the straight, claiming the women’s 5,000m gold in 15min 10.18sec.

India’s Parul Chaudhary (15:14.61) took the bronze.

For the first time in 40 years, the Asian Games had witnessed a hat-trick of individual golds in athletics, but the history maker was too tired to celebrate.

Her reaction was understandable after a draining five days in Nagoya, where she won the 10,000m on Sept 24, the 3,000m steeplechase three days later in a Games record 9:04.36, before storming home to 5,000m gold on the penultimate day of the athletics competition.

With her result, Yavi became the first athlete to win three individual titles at the Asian Games since Indian sprinter P. T. Usha in the women’s 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul.

“Coming back today to do this race, I was nervous,” said the reigning Olympic 3,000m steeplechase champion.

“My body was feeling tired, but I said ‘Let me just keep up with the pace and be mentally strong’ because I was here to compete and I was ready for anything that can come.”

Pain was shooting through every part of her body, but she forced herself to rest as she prepared for the final race of her triple-crown bid.

On her Instagram page her motto “keep going” is a fitting mantra for Yavi, whose perseverance has now delivered her sixth Asian Games gold.

She said: “It’s showed me that I need to be patient and trust the process and I keep moving in whatever I’m doing because it’s not easy.

“A lot happens in training and maybe sometimes the body doesn’t respond, you are sick, so it has taught me a lot of patience and trusting myself and keeping on believing that I have more to come in the future.”

Born in Ukia, Makueni County in Kenya, Yavi trialled numerous times for the Kenyan national team, but faced stiff competition and never made the cut.

In 2016, she began representing Bahrain in the hopes of getting more racing opportunities.

The decision drew criticism from friends who questioned her choice.

She told Kenyan publication The Star: “It brought a lot of negativity. I was being asked how sure I was that I would go and run well. Others said I should not go there; I would get hurt.”

The decision reaped rewards for Yavi, who now boasts an impressive record that includes an Olympic gold, world championships medals – the 3000m steeplechase gold in 2023 and silver two years later – and six Asiad golds.

On Sept 28, Sri Lanka’s young javelin star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his stellar form in 2026 by claiming his country’s first-ever Asian Games gold in the event.

He topped the field in the absence of India’s two-time defending champion Neeraj Chopra, who missed the competition owing to an ankle ligament tear.

The rain scuppered Pathirage’s bid for the continental record of 92.97m held by Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem, who finished fourth.

But Pathirage’s 88.55m on his final attempt was enough to hand him his 13th victory of the season.

The world No. 1 has won all but one of the 14 events he has contested this season, including the Commonwealth Games and the Ultimate Championship.

He said: “Today was not good and I couldn’t get my massive throw. With the rain, I could not get the grip but I’m happy to have the first-ever Sri Lankan gold medal in javelin.”

Paris Olympics silver medallist Feng Bin retained her women’s discus throw title after hurling 63.83m.

Mariam Kareem claimed the United Arab Emirates’ second-ever gold medal in athletics after winning the women’s 400m hurdles in a Games record 54.31sec, while Qatari Bassem Hemeida upgraded his men’s 400m hurdles silver from 2023 to gold after clocking 47.82sec.

Japan’s Ryuji Miura set a meet record 8:17.36 to take the men’s 3000m steeplechase title, while his compatriot Kazuto Iizawa won the men’s 1,500m champion in a Games record 3:36.35.

China’s Shi Yuhao took the men’s long jump gold with a season’s best 8.17m, while his compatriots won the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay crowns in 38.17sec and 42.96sec.

Singapore’s men’s relay team of Ian Gan, Xander Ho, Mark Lee and Tate Tan were eighth out of nine in 39.88sec.

The mixed 4x100m relay quartet comprising Tate Fung, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Mark Lee and 200m champion Shanti Pereira clocked a national record of 41.66sec to finish second in heat 1 and fourth overall, booking their spot in the final on Sept 29.

Their effort eclipsed the previous national mark of 42.99sec set in 2019.

Thailand topped the heats in 41.48sec as the event made its debut at the Asian Games.

Elizabeth-Ann said: “Our warm-up was our first-ever practice and we just went in with trust in each other and honestly, because we had no practise at all, we also just went in with no expectations.

“We didn’t know what we were going to get, but we really just trusted each other and I’m glad we got the baton across and even qualified second.”

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