Jakarta Diary: 730 athletes from 43 countries in Asian Games

JAKARTA (INA): Some 730 athletes from 43 countries will be competing at the Asian Games in Jakarta from 25-30 August. Standout names in action include Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba in the 400m hurdles and teammate Abdelelah Haroun in the 400m flat. One of the most competitive events on the programme will be the 100m featuring China’s Su Bingtian (9.91 PB), Japan’s Ryota Yamagata (10.00), Aska Cambridge (10.08), Iran’s Hassan Taftian (10.03) and Indonesia’s recently crowned world U20 champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri who clocked 10.18 to win in Tampere. In-form Salwa Eid Naser from Bahrain faces India’s world U20 champion Hima Das in the 400m (Das has also entered the 200m) and Bahrain will also have high hopes for world champion Rose Chelimo in the marathon and Winfred Yavi in the 3000m steeplechase. One of the highlights in the field should be the men’s javelin featuring World University Games winner and Asian record-holder Chao-tsun Cheng from Chinese Taipei (91.36m PB) up against India’s Neeraj Chopra (87.43m PB). Other top names in action include reigning Olympic hammer champion Dilshod Nazarov from Tajikistan, Syria’s Majd Eddin Ghazal in the high jump, Iran’s Ehsan Hadadi in the discus and former Olympic champion Olga Rypakova from Kazakhstan in the triple jump. China should be strong in the women’s throws with world champion Gong Lijiao (shot put), Chen Yang and Feng Bin (discus), Lyu Huihui and Liu Shiying (javelin) and Wang Zhen (hammer) potentially sweeping all four events. World champion Yang Jiayu will also compete in the 20km race walk alongside 2012 Olympic medallist Qieyang Shenjie.