Asian Games athletics records: Know the best track and field marks - full list
Takeyuki Nakayama’s marathon mark set at Seoul 1986 is the longest surviving athletics record at the Asian Games. India holds records in three events.
Athletics
Athletics has been an integral part of the Asian Games programme since the inaugural edition in 1951. Over the years, the continental competition has seen multiple records being set and broken.
Japan have won 603 medals, including 196 golds, in athletics at the Asian Games - the most for any country. The People's Republic of China, meanwhile, have won 501 medals, including 199 golds. India’s Asian Games medal tally in athletics stands at 283, with 85 golds.
Athletes from China hold 17 meet records at the Asian Games - the most by any country. Indian athletes hold three.
Here’s a look at all the Asian Games athletics records.
100m Asian Games record
Men - Su Bingtian, the first Asian-born sprinter to break the 10-second barrier in the men’s 100m, holds the Asian Games record in the event. The Chinese athlete completed the 100m final at Jakarta 2018 in 9.92 seconds, beating Qatari sprinter Femi Ogunode’s record of 9.93 seconds recorded in 2014.
Women - In the women’s category, Sri Lanka’s Susanthika Jayasinghe holds the 100m record after clocking 11.15 seconds at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
200m Asian Games record
Men - Nigerian-born Femi Ogunode set the 200m record at the Asian Games in Incheon 2014 by clocking 20.14 seconds. He achieved this feat just days after setting the 100m record in the competition as well, which was later broken in 2018 by Su Bingtian.
Women - Sri Lankan sprinter Damayanthi Dharsha clocked 22.48 seconds in Bangkok in 1998 to set the Asian Games record in the women’s 200m event. She also won a gold in the 400m sprint later in the same edition.
400m Asian Games record
Men - Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Masrahi holds the Asian Games 400m record, courtesy a 44.46-second run at Incheon 2014.
Women - Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser broke the 400m record, clocking 50.09 seconds at Jakarta 2018.
800m Asian Games record
Men - Sajad Marodi from Iran holds the 800m record at the Asian Games, clocking an impressive 1:45:45 to win gold at Guangzhou 2010.
Women - Kazakhstan’s Margarita Matsko bagged the 800m record with a timing of 1:59:02 at Incheon 2014.
1500m Asian Games record
Men - Mohammed Shaween of Saudi Arabia bagged 1500m gold in Guangzhou 2010. His timing of 3:36:49 broke the Asian Games record as well.
Women - India’s Sunita Rani emerged as the Asian Games 1500m record holder at Busan 2002, completing the final in 4:06:03.
5000m Asian Games record
Men - Bahraini long-distance runner Birhanu Balew holds the 5000m record at the Asian Games. He clocked 13:17.40 at Hangzhou 2023 to earn the honour.
Women - Chinese athlete Sun Yingjie bagged the 5000m record, courtesy a timing of 14:40:41, which she achieved in Busan 2002.
10000m Asian Games record
Men - Bilisuma Shugi Gelassa established the Asian Games men’s 10000m record in Guangzhou 2010. The Bahraini athlete recorded a time of 27:32:72.
Women - Among women, Sun Yingjie broke the Asian Games 10,000m record in Busan as well, completing her race in 30:28:26.
Marathon Asian Games record
Men - Japanese runner Takeyuki Nakayama set the marathon record at the Asian Games at Seoul 1986 by clocking 2:08:21. The record is the longest-standing athletics record at the Asian Games.
Women - Another Japanese marathoner, Naoko Takahashi, set the Games record in women’s marathon with a timing of 2:21:47 at Bangkok 1998.
110m hurdles Asian Games record
Men - Liu Xhiang broke the Asian Games 110m hurdles record in Guangzhou 2010, with a timing of 13.09 seconds. The Chinese runner was also briefly in possession of the 110m hurdles world record (12.88s) and also went on to win a world championships gold (2007) and an Olympic gold (2004) in the event.
100m hurdles Asian Games record
Women - In the 100m hurdles, a women’s-only event, Kazakh athlete Olga Shishigina achieved the Games record of 12.63 at Bangkok 1998.
400m hurdles Asian Games record
Men - Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba holds the men’s 400m hurdles record at the Asian Games. He achieved it courtesy his timing of 47.66 at the 2018 edition.
Women - Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya set the Games record in women’s 400m hurdles, clocking 54.45 at Hangzhou 2023.
3000m steeplechase Asian Games record
Men - Avinash Sable of India broke the Asian Games record in the 3000m steeplechase at Hangzhou 2023 with his timing of 8:19.50.
Women - Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi holds the Asian Games 3000m steeplechase record. She achieved it at Hangzhou 2023, clocking a time of 9:18.28.
High jump Asian Games record
Men - With a jump of 2.35m at Incheon 2014, Mutaz Essa Barshim holds the Asian Games record in men’s high jump. The Qatari athlete equalled his own record at Hangzhou 2023.
Women - Meanwhile, in the women’s category, Svetlana Radzivil of Uzbekistan set the Asiad record with a jump of 1.96m at Jakarta 2018.
Pole vault Asian Games record
Men - Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines holds the Asian Games record in pole vault with a leap of 5.90m at Hangzhou 2023.
Women - Li Ling of China holds the women’s pole vault record at the Asian Games of 4.63m, which she achieved in Hangzhou 2023.
Long jump Asian Games record
Men - China’s Wang Jianan, who won the gold at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, also holds the Asian Games long jump record with a leap of 8.24m at Jakarta 2018.
Women - Yao Weili of China set the Asian Games long jump record among women with a jump of 6.91m at Hiroshima 1994.
Triple Jump Asian Games record
Men - China’s Zou Sixin set the Asian Games record in triple jump with a leap of 17.31m in Beijing 1990.
Women - In the women’s category, Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova holds the Asian Games triple jump record of 14.78m, which she achieved at Guangzhou 2010.
Shot put Asian Games record
Men - India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor threw 20.75m at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, thus establishing the competition’s shot put record. He surpassed Saudi Arabia’s Abdulmajeed Alhabashi, whose distance of 20.57m was achieved in 2010.
Women - In the women’s category, Sui Xinmei of China holds the Asian Games record courtesy a throw of 20.55m at Beijing 1990.
Discus throw Asian Games record
Men - Iran’s Ehsan Hadadi threw 67.99m to set the Asian Games record for discus throw during Guangzhou 2010.
Women - Chinese athlete Feng Bin holds the Asian Games record in the women’s category, with a throw of 67.93m in Hangzhou 2023.
Hammer throw Asian Games record
Men - Japan’s Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Olympic champion, recorded a distance of 78.72m at Busan 2002, to set the Asian Games record.
Women - China’s Zhang Wenxiu threw a record distance of 77.73m at Incheon 2014, helping her bag a third consecutive gold at the Asian Games.
Javelin throw Asian Games record
Men - China’s Zhao Qinggang holds the Asian Games record in javelin throw, recording a distance of 89.15m at Incheon 2014.
Women - China’s Liu Shiying, the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin throw, holds the Asian Games javelin throw record among women. The Chinese managed 66.09m at the 2014 Asian Games, Incheon.
Decathlon Asian Games record
Men - Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan set the competition record in decathlon, scoring 8,384 points at the 2006 Asian Games, Doha.
Heptathlon Asian Games record
Women - In the women’s-only heptathlon event, Syria’s Ghada Shouaa achieved 6,360 points in Hiroshima 1994, setting a new Asian Games record.
20km race walk Asian Games record
Men - China’s Wang Zhen holds the competition record in 20km race walk, completing his track in 1:19:45 at the 2014 Asian Games.
Women - A year after bagging a gold at the 2017 World Championships, China’s Yang Jiayu set the Asian Games record in the women’s 20km race walk with a timing of 1:29:15 at Jakarta 2018.
50km race walk Asian Games record
Men - Japan’s Takayuki Tani clocked the Asian Games 50km walk record of 3:40:19. He achieved it during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
4x100m relay Asian Games record
Men - The Chinese quartet of Chen Shiwei, Xie Zhenye, Su Bingtian and Zhang Peimeng clocked 37.99 seconds in the 4x100m relay at the 2014 Asian Games, Incheon, setting a new competition record.
Women - The Bahrain women’s team of Iman Essa Jasimm, Edidiong Odiong, Hajar Alkhaldi and Salwa Eid Naser hold the Asian Games record of 42.73, which it achieved at Jakarta 2018. They also broke the national record with this performance.
4x400m relay Asian Games record
Men - The Qatari quartet of Abderrahman Samba, Mohamed Nasir Abbas, Mohamed El-Nour and Abdalelah Haroun completed the 4x400m relay in 3:00:56 at Jakarta 2018. While setting the competition record, the foursome also broke the long-standing Asian record of 3:00:76 set by Japan during the 1996 Olympic Games.
Women - The Bahrain relay team comprising Muna Saad S. Mubarak, Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya, Zenab Moussa Ali Mahamat and Salwa Eid Naser Naser holds the Asian Games record in the women’s 4x400m relay. The quarter clocked 3:27.65 at Hangzhou 2023.
Mixed - Bahrain's Musa Isah, Oluwakemi Mujidat Adekoya, Yusuf Ali Abbas and Salwa Eid Naser clocked 3:14.02 at Hangzhou 2023 to set the new Asian Games record in mixed 4x400m relay.
35km mixed race walk Asian Games record
Mixed - The Chinese team of Shijie Qieyang and Qin Wang established the Asian Games record in 35km mixed race walk at Hangzhou 2023, with a timing of 5:16:41.