PHILIPPINES’ bets in Carlos Yulo, Alex Eala, and EJ Obiena are some of the world’s best that will be seeing action in the 20th Asian Games.
Other countries have also brought their biggest stars for Asia’s supremacy. Get to know some of them.
READ: Yulo, Obiena, Eala aren't the only PH gold potentials at Asiad
AN SE-YOUNG
The world No. 1 women’s singles badminton player competing in the Asian Games after winning gold in the Paris Olympics in 2024. The Korean shuttler is also the defending champion of the Asiad, where she is the heavy favorite after also winning the Asian Championships last April
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RIZKI JUNIANSYAH
He is the youngest Olympic champion of Indonesia. At 21, Juniansyah won the gold medal in the men’s 73kg event in record fashion, lifting 199 in the clean and jerk for a new Olympic mark in Paris. All eyes will be on Juniansyah as he competes in a heavier 85kg category in Aishi-Nagoya.
ABDUMALIK KHALOKOV
A reigning Olympic champion in the 57kg, the Uzbekistan boxer is also the world champion under the World Boxing international federation when he captured the 60kg division title in Liverpool last year. He is eyeing his second straight Asian Games gold in Japan.
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ADITI ASHOK
One of the more familiar names in the LPGA and Ladies European Tour golf circuit, Ashok has represented India many times, including twice in the Olympics, even placing fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. She looks to bag the gold this time after finishing with a silver in Hangzhou.
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WANG CHUQIN
A 10-time world table tennis champion, Wang is the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s team event and mixed doubles. He is currently the No. 1-ranked singles competitor in the recent International Table Tennis Federation world rankings. He will look to add gold medals from the six he had previously won in the Asian Games that included the singles crown in Hangzhou.
HARUKA KITAGUCHI
Japanese fans will be cheering for their very own Kitaguchi. She made a landmark win in the Paris Olympics when she became the first Japanese female to win a gold medal in a throwing event in athletics.
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KOREA BASEBALL TEAM
Korea is going all out in its bid to win its fifth straight baseball crown in the Asiad by bringing in the stars of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), one of the top tier leagues in the world.
ARSHAD NADEEM
The Pakistani athlete is fresh from his Olympic gold medal win in javelin throw, a first in an individual event for his country. He set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters. He also won the Asian Championship crown in Korea in 2025.
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PAN ZHANLE
The two-time gold winner in the Paris Olympics broke his own world record when he clocked 46.40 in the 100m freestyle, breaking the old mark by 1.08 seconds. He also helped China won gold medals in the 4x100m medley and the 4x100m mixed medley in Paris. He will be a heavy favorite in the sprint events in the Asiad.
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JAPAN GYMNASTICS TEAM
Japan brought the big guns in gymnastics with Oka Shinnosuke and Daiki Hashimoto leading the way. Shinnosuke and Hashimoto were part of the squad that won the team all-around in the Paris Olympics. Shinnosuke also won the individual all-around along with the horizontal bar in the same Games.
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