His return to form came in the 1998 season. He claimed the second national title of his career, topping the field with a clearance of . He regained his place as the continent's top jumper by winning the gold medal at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships in July, getting the better of Lee Jin-Taek of South Korea and Malaysian Loo Kum Zee. His winning mark of was among the best of his career and the best performance at the championships since Zhu Jianhua's 1983 victory. He attempted to take his second continental title of the year at the 1998 Asian Games but his jump of in the final was not enough to beat Lee and he finished with a silver medal. In his last international outing that year, he placed fifth for Asia at the 1998 IAAF World Cup.