Long-awaited Asian Games which started in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang Province, has gathered top names in the continent. On the first day of athletics competition, five titles were determined including two race walking events in the morning.
China, the most powerful force in race walking globally, wasn't to be surprised by anybody en route to securing 1-2 in both walking contests. Men's race, which started 10 minutes earlier, was won by Chinese National Games winner Zhang Jun. Zhang tasted his first international success since 2016 World Cup junior race victory back in 2016, by defeating Wang Zhaozhao in a hard contest. 25-year-old Zhang started to extend the lead from the 15th kilometre and finished with more than one minute gap over his compatriot. Zhaozhao came up with silver medal to complete China's fourth 1-2 double in men's race walking in the Games history. With the result, China has won every single 20K men's title since 1986 - except Kazakh Valery Borisov's stunning win in the 2002 Games.
In the women's race, Yang Jiayu retained her title from five years ago as she edged Ma Zhenxia by just a second. This also gave Yang a bitter revenge from Ma, who defeated her in the World Race Walking Cup last year. Yang added her own name alongside all-time great Liu Hong who was the only title-defender at the event previously.
Two of the global putting stars of Chinese athletics have secured their respective wins in the first evening session. Eight-time world medallist legendary Gong Lijiao won her fourth Asian Games medal and became the only female shot putter to have three titles in the event. In the previous editions since 1951, six women have won double golds, but none of them claimed a third one. 34-year old Gong threw 19.58 in the final while Universiade champion Song Jiayuan came second with a half-a-meter-short effort. India's national champion Kiran Baliyan clinched the bronze to become the first Indian female putter to win an Asian Games medal since 1951.
Aside China's events domination in the opening day, Bahrain has been able to secure a win in the women's 10,000 metres. 33-year-old Kenyan-born Bahraini Violah Jepchumba clocked 31:43.73 personal best in the final while defeating Japan's Ririka Hironaka. Kazakhstan's Caroline Chepkirui finished third as she brought the first-ever 10K podium to the central Asian country.
