The 19th Asian Athletics Championships in Kobe, Hyogo opened on its first day on July 7th at Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium. Top athletes from 40 different countries and regions participate in the Championships and compete for Asian championships titles in the total of 42 men and women athletics events until July 10th.

The Day 1, unfortunately, was marred with rain, but the woman hummer thrower, Masumi Aya, showed great concentration despite the slippery throwing circle and won her specialty. This is the first ever title for a Japanese woman at the Asian Championship hammer throw. Because winning the Asian championship is equivalent to attaining the "A" standard for the world championships, Aya moved closer to competing in the World Championships at Daegu, Korea.