Joshua makes history with Thailand’s first Asian Games 400m gold
Thailand’s Joshua Robert Atkinson won the men’s 400m gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday, becoming the first Thai athlete to win the event at the Asian Games.
He produced a strong finish to cross the line first in 44.90 seconds at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, edging Sulaiman Abdulrahman of the United Arab Emirates, who took silver in 44.99 seconds. Japan’s Yuki Joseph Nakajima won bronze in 45.22 seconds.
The gold was also a personal best for Atkinson and added another major title to his growing collection of international honours.
World Athletics lists his previous 400m personal best as 45.13 seconds, set at the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok.
Johua, 23, is a Thai-Australian athlete who initially competed as a high-school athlete in Australia and was also of interest to the Australian national team before choosing to represent Thailand.
He became eligible to represent Thailand in international competitions in April 2022.
At the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam, his first major competition for Thailand, Atkinson won four gold medals in the 400m, 800m, men’s 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay.
He was subsequently selected as one of the Games’ outstanding athletes.
He also broke Thailand’s national 800m record in Australia in 2023, clocking 1:48.27.
At the 2025 SEA Games in Bangkok, Atkinson successfully defended his 400m title in 45.13 seconds and helped Thailand win the men’s 4x400m relay, setting a new SEA Games record of 3:03.07.
Main photo:Joshua Robert Atkinson//Sports Authority of Thailand