Asian sprinters on track to make some big strides

MEN'S LONG JUMP (FINAL BEGINS AT 19:25 ON AUG 25)

Born: Sept 1, 1989

Height: 1.92 m

Weight: 78 kg

Jumping a personal best of 8.47m at an international meet in Germany in June last year, Li broke the 17-year national record and asserted his presence as a serious contender for world titles and Olympic medals.

The 25-year-old moved on to claim his first Asiad gold medal by leaping 8.01m in Incheon, even though he wasn't fully recovered from a minor injury. Since last November the Beijing native has trained with renowned US coach Randall Huntington, former mentor of world record holder Mike Powell.

Li aims to at least hit his personal best at the worlds, and is hoping for a podium finish at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.