Asian Games 2026 Athletics Day 3 Wrap: Ang Chen Xiang Squeaks into Hurdles Final by 0.001s as Dominant Shanti Pereira Cruises Through

NAGOYA, JAPAN — A single thousandth of a second and a display of effortless sprinting supremacy defined a dramatic Saturday night for Team Singapore track and field at the 2026 Asian Games.

At the Paloma Mizuho Stadium, national sprint hurdler Ang Chen Xiang survived the tightest photo-finish margin available in athletics to book his berth in the men’s 110m hurdles final, while sprint queen Shanti Pereira underlined her status as Asia’s premier 200m runner by breezing into Sunday’s final as the fastest qualifier across all heats.

Photo: Team Singapore

Ang Chen Xiang Edges Thriller by 0.001s After Izumiya DNF

Drama unfolded before the race could even settle into rhythm in Heat 1 of the men’s 110m hurdles. Home favourite and sub-13-second standout Shunsuke Izumiya failed to finish, abruptly blowing the race wide open for two automatic qualifying berths.

While Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yi-kai snatched the win in 13.82 seconds, the battle for the second auto-qualification spot came down to absolute fractions. Both Ang and Kuwait’s Yaqoub Alyouha crossed the line neck-and-neck, clocked identically at 13.88 seconds to the naked eye.

The official photo-finish evaluation separated the duo by the razor-thin margin of 13.877 to 13.878 seconds. That 0.001-second edge awarded the 32-year-old Singaporean second place and an automatic lane in Sunday's medal showdown, eliminating Alyouha on the spot.

Wind: 0.0 m/s

Ang, who owns the Singapore national record at 13.77s and entered Nagoya with a season’s best of 13.85s, advances to the eight-man final led by Japan’s Rachid Muratake (13.27s).

Photo: Team Singapore

Shanti Pereira Cruises into 200m Final as Top Seed

Reigning Asian Games champion Shanti Pereira delivered an authoritative performance in Heat 2 of the women’s 200m. Running against a 0.3 m/s headwind, Pereira pulled away smoothly to post 23.10 seconds—the fastest time of the entire round by nearly two-tenths of a second.

China’s 100m gold medallist Chen Yujie tracked closely behind at 23.29s, with Japan’s Aiko Ido (23.30s) and India’s Harita Bhadra (23.31s) completing the top four qualifiers.

Pereira, who holds a 2026 season’s best of 22.78 seconds, remains the only female sprinter in Asia to dip under the 23-second threshold this year. Bahrain’s Edidiong Odiong claimed an outsider qualifying berth in 23.56s, setting up a fourth consecutive race against Pereira in Sunday's anticipated rematch.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SPORT PLUS MEDIA (@sportplus.sg)

Mixed Fortunes: Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Gabriel Lee Bow Out

In Heat 3 of the women’s 200m, 23-year-old Elizabeth-Ann Tan clocked 24.11 seconds to place fifth, concluding her individual sprint events in Nagoya. Her campaign marks steady career progression following a breakthrough appearance in the 100m semi-finals earlier in the week. Tan will return to the track to anchor the women’s 4x100m relay on Sunday and the mixed 4x100m relay on Monday.

In the infield, national record holder Gabriel Lee Jing Yi placed ninth in the men’s triple jump final with a top leap of 15.71m. Lee missed out on the top eight and three additional attempts by just 11 centimetres, as Vietnam’s Ho Trong Manh took the eighth spot with 15.82m.

Photo: Team Singapore

The final saw history rewritten by China’s Su Wen, whose massive jump of 17.42m shattered Zou Sixin’s 36-year-old Asian Games record from Beijing 1990.

Record-Breaking Night in Nagoya

Saturday proved to be one of the most explosive sessions of the 2026 Asian Games, producing four Games records:

• Women’s 400m: Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser clocked a dominant 49.20s to win gold by 3.18 seconds.

• Women’s 1500m: Bahrain’s Nelly Korir captured gold in a record 4:04.50.

• Men’s Shot Put: Iran’s Mohammadreza Tayebise threw 20.81m to take gold, unseating two-time defending champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor (20.64m).

• Men’s 400m: Thailand’s Joshua Atkinson ran a personal best of 44.90s to hold off UAE’s Suleiman Abdulrahman (44.99s).

• Men’s Marathon: Japan's Ichitaka Yamashita triumphed on home roads in 2:10:49.

Photo: Team Singapore

Team Singapore Athletics: Day 4 Finals Schedule (Sunday, 27 Sept)

Singapore faces its biggest medal charge of the track and field program on Sunday evening, featuring four potential finals within a single 60-minute window (all times Singapore Time):

• 6:10 PM: Women’s Long Jump Final — Tia Louise Rozario (Subject to medical clearance)

• 6:25 PM: Women’s 200m Final — Shanti Pereira

• 6:45 PM: Men’s High Jump Final — Kampton Kam

• 7:08 PM: Men’s 110m Hurdles Final — Ang Chen Xiang

• Evening Session: Women’s 4x100m Relay Heats