Sanya, China, April 25, 2026: From the third lane, Thailand’s Jirapat Khanonta kept her eyes locked on the finish. Despite the blazing sun and a fading breeze, she delivered when it mattered. Light on her feet, Khanonta pulled away to claim gold in a blistering 7.46 seconds at the 6th Asian Beach Games, claiming the title of the fastest woman.
China’s Xu Jialu lived up to the hype, pushing Khanonta to the wire to take silver in 7.49 seconds. The Philippines' Jessica Rose Laurance, who entered with the second-fastest heat time, recovered from a rocky start to clinch the bronze in 7.52 seconds at the Phoenix Island Venue.
Khanonta’s victory was built on a lightning-fast reaction time of 0.133 seconds. In the gruelling final 20 meters of a 60m sand sprint, her vertical stiffness, the ability to stay upright and powerful without sinking kept her ahead as Xu closed the gap.
The conditions also played a part. The sand wasn’t loose; instead, it was baked firm by the sun, providing a stable platform for the sprinters.
“I focused on the start and knew I had the power to sustain it,” Khanonta told the media. “The surface was good and didn’t give way.”
Xu’s silver finish bolstered China’s massive medal haul, proving just how deep the regional sprinting talent runs.
Jessica Rose Laurance was excited with her bronze. From synthetic to sand she felt wasn’t a big challenge.
“It’s always the start that needs to be perfect in the shorter sprint and I felt that didn’t pay off for me. But I am happy that I finished strongly," the Philippines sprinter said.
She did say that the conditions were “very hot” but added that everyone had to face it.
Pakistan had a surprise finalist in Faiqa Riaz, who finished eighth in 7.75 seconds. In the end, the women’s final wasn’t just about speed but also on how each of them could conquer the coastline’s terrain.