Eight athletes to watch at the Asian Games
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The official mascots of the Asian Games (from left) Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian are seen ahead of the games in Hangzhou.
PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE – The likes of swimmers Park Tae-hwan and Kosuke Hagino, and badminton star Lin Dan have graced the Asian Games stage in past editions of the quadrennial event, with many going on to achieve international success at the Olympic Games.
The Straits Times looks at eight athletes who are aiming to shine at the 19th Asiad which started in Hangzhou, China, on Saturday.
Yin Ruoning, 20, China (golf)
Yin Ruoning of China posing for a photo with the trophy after winning the Women's PGA Championship.
PHOTO: AFP
The top-ranked female golfer became a Major champion after capturing the Women’s PGA Championship in June. Yin, who turned professional in 2020, is only the second Chinese golfer to rise to world No. 1 since compatriot Feng Shanshan.
The Kunming native will be making her second Asiad appearance after claiming the women’s team bronze at the 2018 Games in Jakarta. She finished 26th out of 42 competitors in the individual event.
Mutaz Essa Barshim, 32, Qatar (athletics)
Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim winning the high jump at Diamond League in Poland.
PHOTO: AFP
Besides making headlines for jointly winning the Olympic high jump gold with Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi in Tokyo, Mutaz has had a decorated career that includes three World Championships and two Asian Games golds.
The Qatari skipped the Diamond League finals in Oregon to focus on the Hangzhou Asiad. He will be attempting to regain his high jump crown, which he last won in 2014.
Mutaz, who holds the Asian record of 2.43m, will face stiff competition from South Korea’s Woo Sang-hyeok, who was runner-up in 2018.
Neeraj Chopra, 25, India (athletics)
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra participating in a Diamond League event in Zurich, Switzerland, in August 2023.
PHOTO: IANS
Chopra, who serves as an officer in the Indian army, won the gold medal in the javelin with his 88.17m effort at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August, adding to his Tokyo Olympic title in 2020.
The 25-year-old arrives at the Asiad fresh off a silver medal from last weekend’s Diamond League finals.
His biggest challenge in Hangzhou will likely come from Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who finished second at the world championships with an 87.82m throw.
Lee Kang-in, 22, South Korea (football)
Lee Kang-In playing for Paris Saint-Germain against Lorient at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris on Aug 12, 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
With South Korea gunning for their third consecutive men’s football gold, Lee will play a starring role after earning a lucrative summer move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain in June for a reported €22 million (S$32 million).
The winger joined the Under-24 team after Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund and should be available for their final group game against Bahrain on Sunday. The South Koreans opened their Group E campaign with a 9-0 thrashing of Kuwait on Tuesday and beat Thailand 4-0 on Thursday.
Lee will be hoping to emulate compatriot Son Heung-min’s feat of clinching gold, which comes with an exemption from the country’s mandatory military service.
Kunlavut Vitidsarn, 22, Thailand (badminton)
Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn competing against France’s Christo Popov at the Singapore Badminton Open.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Asian Games debutant Kunlavut has been tipped as the favourite for the men’s singles gold after his World Championships triumph in August.
While the world No. 4 will come up against tough adversaries in Indonesia’s No. 2 Anthony Ginting and Japan’s No. 3 Kodai Naraoka, he has a positive head-to-head record against both players.
Kunlavut, who has won 33 out of 43 matches and three singles titles in 2023, will be focused on carrying his red-hot form into his maiden Games.
Rikako Ikee, 23, Japan (swimming)
Rikako Ikee of Japan with her gold medal in the women’s 50m freestyle final at the 18th Asian Games in Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Centre, Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug 24, 2018.
PHOTO: ST FILE
At the 2018 Jakarta Games, Ikee became the first female athlete to win the Most Valuable Player award at the Asiad with her haul of six gold and two silver medals.
But the Japanese swimmer was dealt a crushing blow when she was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2019. Two years later, she made a remarkable recovery by taking part in the 4x100m medley relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
Having competed at July’s World Aquatics Championships, Ikee will be hoping to rediscover her 2018 Asiad form in Hangzhou.
Oksana Chusovitina, 48, Uzbekistan (artistic gymnastics)
Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan competing during the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2023 at the OCBC Arena on June 16.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
With a career spanning more than three decades, she is one of six women and the only gymnast to have competed in eight Olympic Games, winning gold in Barcelona in 1992.
Chusovitina also has three World Championships and two Asian Games golds to go with her Olympic title. In an interview with olympics.com
Adding another Asiad medal, two years shy of turning 50, would only enhance what is already an illustrious resume.
Zheng Qinwen, 20, China (tennis)
China’s Zheng Qinwen was named WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
Ranked No. 22 in the WTA rankings, Zheng is the top Asian woman on the circuit. The 20-year-old prodigy is in fine form, coming off a quarter-final run at the US Open in New York where she defeated world No. 7 Tunisian Ons Jabeur.
Making her Asiad debut on home soil, the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2022 is the favourite in the women’s singles. A gold medal will also secure a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
