Hangzhou witnessed a remarkable display of sprinting prowess as China claimed both the men’s and women’s 100m titles at the Asian Games on Saturday, sending the home crowd into jubilation.
In the men’s category, Xie Zhenye blazed to victory with a time of 9.97 seconds, outpacing Thailand’s Puripol Boonson at 10.02 seconds and Malaysia’s Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi at 10.11 seconds.
This victory marked a significant milestone for the 30-year-old Xie, who clinched his first individual gold at the Asian Games after previously contributing to China’s gold in the 4x100m relay in 2014. Xie was also a part of the Chinese squad that secured a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.
Notably, China’s Su Bingtian, a Tokyo Games 100m finalist, chose to skip the Asian Games in order to concentrate on his preparations for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
In the women’s event, Ge Manqi sped to victory, clocking an impressive time of 11.23 seconds. She was followed closely by Singapore’s Shanti Pereira at 11.27 seconds and Bahrain’s Hajar Alkhaldi at 11.35 seconds. Defending champion Edidiong Odiong finished in sixth place, unable to retain her title.
