Asian sprinters on track to make some big strides

Zhang Guowei

MEN'S HIGH JUMP (FINAL BEGINS AT 18:30 ON AUG 30)

Born: June 4, 1991

Height: 2.0m

Weight: 77kg

Hailing from Shandong province as a low-profile jumper, Zhang roared into the spotlight at the 2012 IAAF world indoor championships at Istanbul, where he finished fourth with a Chinese indoor record-tying height of 2.31m (equaling former world record holder Zhu Jianhua).

At the Oregon Diamond Meet in May, the 24-year-old managed to clear a personal best of 2.38m, finishing second behind world indoor champion Mutaz Essa Barshim and narrowly failing to equal Zhu's national record of 2.39m.

The Beijing worlds provides an ideal platform for the ambitious Zhang to rise to new heights.