Odiong Targets Asian Games 200m Redemption After 100m Setback

Nigeria-born Bahrain sprinter Edidiong Odiong will return to the track on Sunday with a second chance to reclaim her Asian Games sprint title when she lines up in the women’s 200m at the Municipal Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

Odiong saw her bid to regain the 100m crown suffer a setback on Friday after she finished third, but the 29-year-old will now turn her attention to the event in which she has previously tasted Asian Games glory.

The 2016 World U20 200m champion completed a memorable sprint double at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, winning both the 100m and 200m titles.

However, she was unable to defend either crown at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, finishing sixth in the 100m and third in the 200m.

Back in Nagoya for the 2026 Games, Odiong had hoped to reclaim both titles but must now settle for a fresh assault on the 200m crown after her third-place finish in the shorter sprint.

She will be seeking to follow the example of another Nigeria-born Bahrain star, Salwa Eid Naser, who successfully reclaimed her Asian Games 400m title on Saturday in emphatic fashion.

Naser clocked a Games-record 49.20 seconds to add another chapter to her remarkable Asian Games career.

Odiong, meanwhile, faces a tough challenge in the 200m, where her season’s best of 23.36 seconds makes her only the sixth-fastest athlete in the field this year.

Three of her rivals have already broken the 23-second barrier this season, leaving the Bahraini with little margin for error if she is to regain the title she last won eight years ago.

After missing out on the 100m crown, Odiong will be hoping Sunday brings the redemption she has been seeking since returning to the Asian Games stage.