Puripol Boonson, the fastest man in Asia on sand – having won gold in the men’s 60m at the 2026 Asian Beach Games – is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting names in sprinting at present. But to reach superstar status, he’ll need to back up those individual plaudits with relay honours – something he’ll attempt to do at the 2026 Asian Relay Championships.
Taking place from 20-21 June in Shangyu, People’s Republic of China, the championships will bring together many of Asia’s top athletics stars ahead of the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October in Japan, with continental bragging rights on the line.
Boonson will be confident of his ability to lead the Thai team victory in the men’s and mixed 4x100m relays, having done so in both events at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, and in the men’s 4x100m at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
While he’s had a rather quiet spring aside from his gold medal exploits on the beach in April, the Thai rising star did show emerging signs of strong form heading into the summer months, clocking 20.03 seconds over 200m at the New Taipei Athletics City Open on 7 June.
And while individual strength alone won’t be enough to guarantee the Thai team multiple titles in Shangyu, as proven by the men’s 4x100m squad’s silver medal finish at the 2026 Asian Beach Games, it could go a long way towards keeping them in the title hunt.
That said, anchoring a relay is heavy business. It’ll require a great deal of maturity from the 20-year-old sprint sensation, whose stardom will only shine brighter if he earns a few more titles in both Shangyu, and later this year at the 2026 Asian Games.
But before any of that becomes possible, Thailand will need to ensure an error-free race in the finals of the men’s and mixed 4x100m relays – a task that’s neither straightforward nor as simple as running fast. After all, relays are unpredictable, and that’s what makes the 2026 Asian Relay Championships such an inciting feast of athletics.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/how-to-watch-puripol-boonson-2026-asian-relay-championships-schedule
