By Sundeep Misra, OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 25, 2026: Track and field events delivered unforgettable drama at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Friday, with a sensational record-breaking performance in the women’s 100-meter sprint before shifting to a historic night in the field events.
China’s Chen Yujie blazed past the competition to claim the gold medal with a blistering time of 11.06 seconds, securing a Games record. Chen demonstrated exceptional acceleration right from the blocks, displaying a reaction time of 0.167 seconds that propelled her to victory.
Singapore’s Shanti Pereira closely followed, capturing the silver medal with a commendable time of 11.21 seconds and earning a season’s best, while Edidiong Odiong of Bahrain rounded out the podium, taking bronze with a strong 11.33-second run. Odiong had won the 100m and 200m double at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
Meanwhile, the field events provided their own share of excitement during the women’s pole vault competition. Misaki Morota of Japan soared to the gold medal, clearing an impressive height of 4.55 meters to secure a personal best. China’s Niu Chunge claimed the silver medal by clearing 4.50 meters, pushing the competition down to the wire.
The most historic drama of the night in the women’s competition, however, unfolded at the bronze medal position. India’s Baranica Elangovan and Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova both successfully cleared a height of 4.15 meters. Unable to be separated by subsequent countbacks, judges confirmed that the bronze medal would be shared between the two athletes. For Elangovan, clearing that height and sharing the medal meant writing her name into the history books by securing India’s first-ever pole vault medal in Asian Games history.
