Puripol Boonson of Thailand ran 9.90 to win the men's 100m at the Asian Games in Nagoya, setting a Games record on his way to Thailand's first Asian Games 100m title since 1978, according to World Athletics. The 9.90 places him second on the Asian all-time list behind only China's Su Bingtian.
Boonson had built to the final steadily, running 9.95 in his heat and 9.91 in the semi-final, the latter breaking the previous Games record. Oman's Ali Al Balushi took silver in 10.04 and his compatriot Mazen Al Balushi bronze in 10.11, a gap of 0.14 seconds between the winner and the runner-up that underlined how far Boonson had moved clear of the field.
In the women's 100m, 17-year-old Chen Yujie of China won in 11.06, another Games record and one that also improved her own Asian U20 record. Only Li Xuemei's wind-assisted 11.05 from 1998 is faster among Chinese women, according to World Athletics. Shanti Pereira of Singapore took silver in 11.21, and Bahrain's Edidiong Odiong bronze in 11.33. Pereira, the reigning champion, went on to win the 200m and defend that title later in the programme.
The sprints were part of a strong opening block of athletics in Nagoya. Bahrain won the mixed 4x400m relay in a Games record 3:12.87, with Salwa Eid Naser anchoring in 48.9, for a third successive title in the event, and India took silver in 3:14.46. Winfred Yavi won the women's 10,000m in 32:39.18, and Birhanu Balew defended the men's 10,000m title in 28:27.51.
Elsewhere, Sharifa Davronova retained the women's triple jump with 14.35m, and Japan's Misaki Morota won the pole vault with a personal best of 4.55m. Shi Shengji won the inaugural men's half marathon race walk in 1:23:32, which brought China's 200th Asian Games athletics gold medal. For the sprinters in particular, results such as these will shape the debate over Asia's place on the global 100m stage.