Eala to Yu Zidi: Six emerging stars set to light up Asian Games

NAGOYA – Some of the brightest talents in sport will be going for gold when the Asian Games open in Nagoya-Aichi on Sept 19.

AFP picks six world-class young stars who are primed to make a big impact in Japan.

Yu Zidi (Swimming, China)

Yu, then aged 12, became the youngest swimming World Championships medallist in history in 2025 when winning bronze as part of China’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.

She also finished a whisker outside the medals in fourth in three world individual events.

She has embellished her growing reputation in 2026, notably with a victory over multiple American Olympic champion Regan Smith in the 200m butterfly in March.

Yu does not turn 14 until two weeks after the Games end in October and is already targeting Olympic glory.

She will begin her quest for a first Asian Games gold in the 200m butterfly when the swimming competition begins on Sept 20. Yu will also swim in the individual 200m and 400m medleys.

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Javelin, Sri Lanka)

The first Sri Lankan to become a Diamond League champion, Pathirage has taken the javelin world by storm in 2026 to continue South Asia’s global dominance in the event.

India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem are the last two Olympic champions but the 23-year-old will be hot favourite to add Asian Games gold to his Commonwealth gold won in Glasgow in 2026.

Pathirage hurled a world-leading 92.62m in the Rome Diamond League meet on June 4 and in Zurich in August his 92.07 saw him become only the fourth man in history to exceed 92m twice.

He will face Nadeem, who holds the Asian record of 92.97m, in Japan, but the Pakistani has been struggling for form.

Chopra is injured and unable to defend his Asian Games gold.

Shin Ohashi (Swimming, Japan)

Breaststroke talent Ohashi stands just 169cm and admits a passion for junk food, but the 17-year-old has emerged as the star of Japan’s new swimming generation.

He came within a second of the 200m world record held by China’s Qin Haiyang earlier in 2026, having been on course to beat it at the final turn.

It earned him a junior world record and the fastest time in the world in 2026.

Ohashi’s family made him learn how to swim at the age of three so that he would not drown in a pond in his grandmother’s garden.

He is set to lock horns with Qin again in Nagoya.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Cricket, India)

The fast and furious batting of 15-year-old Sooryavanshi could light up the Asian Games T20 cricket as India look to retain their men’s crown.

Sooryavanshi forced his way into India’s T20 squad to tour England earlier in 2026 following an Indian Premier League season where he topped the batting charts with 776 runs.

He hit two stunning sixes on his India debut at Old Trafford in a whirlwind 14 to replace Sachin Tendulkar as India’s youngest men’s player.

He followed up with a maiden fifty against Zimbabwe off just 18 balls, before a match-winning blitz of 81 from 49 balls.

Misa Nishiyama (Gymnastics, Japan)

Sixteen-year-old Nishiyama has wowed Japanese gymnastics after making the step up to senior level.

Nishiyama, the 2025 junior floor world champion, won Japan’s all-around championship in April and more gold at the NHK Trophy.

She first took an interest in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but became hooked on gymnastics when she started taking lessons at the age of five.

She is already targeting a place on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics podium in the women’s team competition, in which Japan has not won a medal since 1964.

Alexandra Eala (Tennis, Philippines)

With a first WTA Tour title and a stunning win against defending champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon this season, Eala has emerged as one of tennis’ most exciting new talents.

Eala’s run to the Washington title in August saw her sweep aside world No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the final after wins over Naomi Osaka, Elina Svitolina, Leylah Fernandez and Zheng Qinwen.

At a career high 18th in the world, Eala – who will also compete at the Singapore Open – begins her quest for an Asian Games gold to add to her SEA Games gold in 2025.

She won Asian Games bronze at the age of 18 in Hangzhou three years ago, losing in the semi-finals to Zheng, who went on to take gold and win the Olympics a year later. AFP