Ten Asian records set on second day of Beijing Grand Prix

There were 10 new Asian records set on the second day (Sunday 19 April) of action at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Beijing, China, with many of the host nation’s track and field stars giving a tantalising glimpse of what they may be capable of come October’s IPC Athletics World Championships.

China’s Cuiqing Liu secured a new Asian record as she enjoyed her third win of the three-day meeting, which doubles as The 3rd China Open Championships, finishing first in the 200m T11 in a time of 25.24.

The 23-year-old, who won a hat trick of golds at the Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea, six months ago, knocked 0.15 seconds off the previous mark which had stood for more than 10 years.

China’s Lin Zhu meanwhile took 0.2 seconds off the Asian record she set Incheon as she clocked 27.35 in the women’s 200m T13.

Paralympic 200m T12 silver medallist Guohua Zhou continued her winning form on day two of competition at the city’s Outdoor Athletics Track – part of the China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities sports complex - with victory in the 200m T12 in a time of 25.72, adding to her win over 100m the day before.

Yingli Li added to her win over 100m on Saturday as she beat fellow Chinese racer Yuanhang Cao to the line in the women’s 200m T37. The 27-year-old bettered her own Asian record set in Incheon with a time of 29.11. Li also triumphed in the 400m T35/37/38 with a time of 1:07.93 – just outside the Asian record she set in Incheon last year. Paralympic champion Junfei Chen also finished just outside her Asian record mark in the 200m T38, clocking 27.60.

China’s Paralympic champion and world silver medallist Huzhao Li (T53) proved too strong for the rest of the field in the men’s 400m T34/53, crossing the line in 52.11 with South Korea’s Byunghoon Yoo second in 52.24. China’s former world champion Chengming Liu triumphed in the men’s 400m T54 in 46.83.

Uzbekistan earned its first win through Mansur Abdirashidov (T12) who was first across the line in the men’s 200m T11/12 in 23.80. In the 200m T13 China’s Jin Guo got the better of his countryman Bingbing Jiang to take the win in 23.20.

Winner over 100m on day one, UAE’s Mohammad Vahdani was the clear victor in the men’s 200m T54, finishing in 25.43, while Asian record holder Xinhan Fu won his 200m T35 race in 27.45.

China’s Jianwen Hu, who set a new world long jump F38 record on day one in Beijing, continued his winning form with victory in the 200m T38 in 23.39. The 27-year-old got the better of a stellar field including Paralympic bronze medallist and Asian record holder Wenjun Zhou, who finished second.

Junsu Jeong secured South Korea’s first win of the day in the men’s 400m T20 clocking 53.18, whilst Malaysia’s first victory came through Siti Noor Iasah Mohamad in the women’s 400m T20/46, clocking 1:01.33.

Triple Paralympic medallist Wenjun Liu (T54) beat a strong field including Paralympic 800m T54 bronze medallist Lihong Zou (T54) to the line in the women’s 400m T53/54, clocking 56.19.

There was a new Asian record for Wenjia Wang in the men’s 800m T11. The Chinese athlete stopped the clock in 2:06.50, knocking more than two seconds off the previous mark set by India’s Ankur Dhama in Incheon last October. China’s Jialong Wu (T37) came tantalisingly close – just 0.01 seconds - to equalling the Asian record in the men’s 800m T36/37, winning in 2:10.27.

There was a convincing win - and a new Asian record too - for China’s Chaoyan Li in the 5,000m T46 as he clocked 15:17.53, taking nearly 15 seconds off the previous mark set by Japan’s Naohiro Ninomiya back in 2003.

The Chinese 4x400m T53/54 women’s relay quartet – Lihong Zou, Jing Ma, Wenjun Liu and Hongzuan Zhou crossed the line in 3:40.66, smashing the previous Asian record of 3:46.11 set at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships. The men’s Chinese 4x400m T53/54 relay quartet of Meng Li, Yang Liu, Chengming Liu and Shiran Yu clocked 3:16.58.

Out in the field, China’s Liwan Yang underlined her position as the world number one with victory in the shot put F33/54/55/56/57 and javelin F54/56.

The 37-year-old threw a best of 7.32m (981 points) in the shot to finish over 600 points clear of the field, while in the javelin, her fourth throw of 18.05m meant a hat trick of Beijing Grand Prix wins for Yang, having triumphed in the discus F33/54/56/57 on day one. Yaping Feng finished second – her best of 14.55m was a new F56 Asian record.

Paralympic discus F35/36 champion Qing Wu (F36) also lived up to expectations, winning the women’s discus F35/36/37. The 27-year-old’s fourth throw of 26.96m (1007 points) sealed first place.

China’s Cuiqing Li (F36) secured a new Asian record as he clinched victory in the men’s shot put F35/36/37. Li scored 997 points with a best throw of 13.96m, adding more than two metres to the previous record set by his compatriot Wenbo Wang back in 2011.

China’s talented teenager Mingyu Chen bettered his own Asian record in the long jump T12. The 19-year-old, ranked second in the world last year, added five centimetres to the mark he set at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final in Birmingham, UK last August with a best of 7.09m.

There was a new Asian record too for Malaysia’s Abdul Latif Romly in the men’s long jump T20. Winner at the Asian Para Games last year, Romly was in superb form, opening the competition with 6.91m, which was his best mark of the day.

The IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Beijing finishes on Monday 20 April with a third day of competition before the 2015 series moves on to Brazil for the fifth Grand Prix of the 2015 series in Sao Paulo which begins on Thursday 23 April.