Along with swimming and gymnastics, track and field is one of the most popular foundational sports on the Asian Games stage. Of the 481 gold medals up for grabs at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, 48 – nearly one in 10 – will come from athletics.
Athletics, comprising running, throwing, jumping, and the race and marathon, will take place over the course of a week, beginning on September 29 and ending on October 5, three days before the Asian Games Closing Ceremony. Athletics events will be held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
On the first day of competition, five gold medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s 20-kilometer race, women’s hammer throw, women’s shot put, and women’s 10,000 meters.
The highly anticipated men’s and women’s 100-meter finals will take place on September 30, and the culminating men’s and women’s marathons will take place on the final day, October 5.
In line with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) gender equality policy, the Games will feature mixed races in two events. The 1600-meter mixed relay final on Oct. 2 and the 35-kilometer mixed relay on Oct. 4 will be two events that have not been seen before.
World-class high jumper Woo Sang-hyuk will go for his first gold medal in the men’s high jump final on October 4.
A total of 42 athletes from the Korean track and field team are competing at the Games, with Woo being the only gold medalist.
The Korean Athletics Federation is hoping for a gold medal for Woo and a silver in the women’s marathon with Choi Kyung-sun (Jecheon City Hall) and Jung Da-eun (K-water).
Bronze medal contenders include Park Min-ho (Kolon) and Shim Jong-seop (KEPCO) in the men’s marathon, the men’s 400-meter relay team, and Lee Jung-sun (Ansan City Hall) in the women’s shot put.
Korean athletics also won six medals (one gold, one silver, four bronze) in Palembang, Jakarta. On that occasion, Jung Hye-rim won a surprise gold medal in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, avenging her “no gold” performance at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
Another high-profile athlete, Woo Sang-hyuk, skyrocketed after finishing fourth in the men’s high jump at Tokyo 2020.
In 2022, he won the World Athletics Indoor Championships 토토사이트 and took silver at the Outdoor Championships. This year, he continued his momentum, winning the Golden Grand Prix (2.29m), finishing second at the Florence Diamond League (2.30m) and winning the Asian Athletics Championships (2.28m).
Five years ago in Palembang, Jakarta, Woo cleared 2m28 to take silver behind China’s Wang Yu (2m30) and will be looking for his first Asian Games stage gold.
Woo will be up against one of the world’s best jumpers, Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar).