2023 Asian Games: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

  19TH ASIAN GAMES

• Sunday, September 24th – Friday, September 29th (swimming)
• Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena, Hangzhou, China
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Entries
• Results
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap

DAY 3 FINALS EVENT SCHEDULE

• Women’s 100 Freestyle – Final
• Men’s 400 Individual Medley – Final
• Women’s 200 Backstroke – Final
• Men’s 1500 Freestyle – Final
• Women’s 400 Freestyle – Final
• Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay – Final

The 3rd day of the 2023 Asian Games is here. After a thrilling first two days of the meet, we’re in store for more fantastic racing by some of Asia’s best and brightest swimmers. We have a short finals session tonight size-wise, featuring just 6 events.

Following her Asian Games Record performance in the women’s 200 free last night, Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey is set for another gold in the women’s 100 free tonight. Haughey was just off her Asian Record mark in the 200 last night, so keep an eye on her in the 100 because it feels like that record is in play.

Similarly, China’s Li Bingjie had a great swim for silver in the women’s 200 free last night and she comes in as the heavy favorite in the women’s 400 free tonight. Bingjie holds the Asian Record in the event with her career best of 4:01.08, which she swam at the Tokyo Olympics back in the summer of 2021.

Given how well China’s men look so far at this meet, it seems very likely they take down the Asian Record of 3:29.00 in the men’s 4×100 medley relay tonight. China just set that record about two months ago at the World Championships in Fukuoka. With how well Qin Haiyang, Xu Jiayu, and Pan Zhanle are swimming, it feels like the Chinese squad might put up a very fast performance to close out tonight’s session.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 51.71 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2017)
• Asian Record: 52.27 – Siobhan Haughey, Hong Kong (2021)
• Asian Games Record: 53.27 – Rikako Ikee, Japan (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong) – 52.17 (ASIAN RECORD)
• SILVER: Yang Yunxuan (China) – 53.11
• BRONZE: Cheng Yujie (China) – 53.91

Siobhan Haughey is on fire this week in Hangzhou! Coming off a near-Asian-Record performance in the 200 free final last night, the 25-year-old came back tonight and clipped her own Asian Record in the 100 free en route to victory. Haughey clocked a 52.17, chipping exactly 0.1 seconds off her previous AR of 52.27, which she set back in 2021. Haughey also shattered the Asian Games Record, which was held by Rikako Ikee at 53.27 from 2018.

Haughey was tremendous on the first 50 of the race tonight, splitting a speedy 25.16 on the opening 50. She then came home in 27.01. Given that first 50 split, keep an eye on Haughey in the 50 free later in the meet.

Behind Haughey, China’s duo of Yang Yunxuan and Cheng Yujie claimed silver and bronze respectively. Yunxuan had a great race, swimming a 53.11, which was also under the Asian Games Record of 53.27. She came pretty close to the Chinese Record in the event, which is held by sprint star Zhang Yufei at 52.90.

MEN’S 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – FINAL

• World Record: 4:02.50 – Leon Marchand, France (2023)
• Asian Record: 4:06.05 – Kosuke Hagino, Japan (2016)
• Asian Games Record: 4:07.75 – Kosuke Hagino, Japan (2014)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Tomoru Honda (Japan) – 4:11.40
• SILVER: Daiya Seto (Japan) – 4:12.88
• BRONZE: Wang Shun (China) – 4:15.12

After a fairly sluggish start to these Games, Japan finally got things going in the men’s 400 IM tonight, earning gold and silver. Tomoru Honda won the event in 4:11.40, pulling into the lead thanks to an electric 27.93 on the final 50m of the race. It was a good swim for Honda, who came in 14th in prelims of the event at the World Championships this summer with a 4:16.71.

Honda was also very strong on the fly leg of the race, getting out to a 54.84.

Japanese teammate Daiya Seto, the bronze medalist in this event at Worlds about two months ago, came in 2nd tonight with a 4:12.88. He pulled into the lead on the first 50 of backstroke and stayed in the lead until the final 50 when Honda sped past him. Seto was particularly strong on the backstroke (1:04.69) and breaststroke (1:10.94) legs tonight. Of note, Seto stayed home from Japan’s pre-Games training camp due to illness.

China’s Wang Shun picked up a medal as well, coming in 3rd with a 4:15.12. Shun sat in 3rd for basically the entire race, but he did put up a very strong 57.53 on the freestyle leg of the race.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:03.14 – Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2023)
• Asian Record: 2:06.46 – Zhao Jing, China (2010)
• Asian Games Record: 2:06.46 – Zhao Jing, China (2010)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Peng Xuwei (China) – 2:07.28
• SILVER: Liu Yaxin (China) – 2:08.70
• BRONZE: Enuji Lee (South Korea) – 2:09.75

Peng Xuwei put up an excellent swim to win the women’s 200 back tonight in 2:07.28. She won the race handily, beating out teammate Liu Yaxin by 1.42 seconds. For Xuwei, the swim comes in pretty close to her career best of 2:06.55, which she swam at the 2017 Chinese National Championships.

Xuwei is close to the Chinese Record in the event, which is a 2:06.46 held by Zhao Jing from 2010, and stands as both the Asian Record and Asian Games Record as well. Xuwei was out fast tonight, splitting 1:01.58 on the opening 100. She then came home in 1:05.70.

South Korea earned their first medal of the night with Enuji Lee, who took bronze with a 2:09.75.

MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 14:31.02 – Sun Yang, China (2012)
• Asian Record: 14:31.02 – Sun Yang, China (2012)
• Asian Games Record: 14:35.43 – Sun Yang, China (2010)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Fei Liwei (China) – 14:55.47
• SILVER: Woomin Kim (South Korea) – 15:01.07
• BRONZE: Shogo Takeda (Japan) – 15:03.29

China’s Fei Liwei won the men’s 1500 free tonight by a comfortable margin, pulling away from the field in the middle of the race. Liwei clocked a 14:55.47 to win gold, coming in off his career best of 14:46.59, which he swam earlier this year. Though he was off his PB, Liwei swam a solid mile tonight, splitting 4:54.76 on the first 500m, 5:01.42 on the 2nd 500m, and 4:59.29 on the final 500m.

South Korea’s Woomin Kim earned the silver medal with a 15:01.07. Kim was out the fastest of anyone this morning, leading the race through the first 400m.

Japan also earned a medal in the event, seeing Shogo Takeda finish 3rd with a 15:03.29.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, Australia (2023)
• Asian Record: 4:01.08 – Li Bingjie, China (2021)
• Asian Games Record: 4:03.18 – Wang Jianjiahe, China (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Li Bingjie (China) – 4:01.96 (ASIAN GAMES RECORD)
• SILVER: Ma Yonghui (China) – 4:05.68
• BRONZE: Waka Kobori (Japan) – 4:07.81

No surprise here, Li Bingjie won the women’s 400 free convincingly tonight, swimming a 4:01.96. With the performance, Bingjie took more than a second off the Asian Games Record, which was held by China’s Wang Jianjiahe at 4:03.18 from 2018. It was a strong swim from Bingjie, who took 5th in the event at the World Championships this summer with a 4:01.65. Bingjie holds the Asian Record in the event at 4:01.08.

Bingjie swam a very consistent race tonight, with her 2nd-7th 50m splits all falling between 30.36 and 30.86. Here is a breakdown of her 50 splits tonight:

China made it a 1-2 punch tonight, with Ma Yonghui taking 2nd in 4:05.68.Yonghui was in 2nd for the entire race, also swimming a very consistently-split race.

Jpana’s Waka Kobori picked up the bronze medal with a 4:07.81.

MEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 3:26.78 – United States (2021)
• Asian Record: 3:29.00 – China (2023)
• Asian Games Record: 3:29.99 – China (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: China – 3:27.01 (ASIAN RECORD)
• SILVER: South Korea – 3:32.05
• BRONZE: Japan – 3:32.52

China sent this session out with a bang, demolishing the Asian Record in the men’s 4×100 medley relay en route to a dominant gold medal performance. The Chinese squad of Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Wang Changhao, and Pan Zhanle teamed up to post a 3:27.01, obliterating the Asian Record of 3:29.00, which this same Chinese squad just set at the World Championships two months ago.

It was right from the start, as Jiayu led the team off in 52.05. Not only is that performance just off his personal best and Asian Record of 51.86, it was way faster than the 53.39 he swam leading the relay off at Worlds. Haiyang then split 57.63, while Changhao came through with a huge 50.68 fly split. Changhao was 51.56 at Worlds, so he was also way faster than his split on the previous AR team. Zhanle then anchored the team in 46.65 tonight, which essentially matched the 46.62 he anchored in at Worlds.

Not only did China smash the Asian Record, they very nearly broke the World Record, which stands at 3:26.78 and is held by the USA.

South Korea came in 2nd tonight, swimming a 3:32.05. That performance crushed the South Korean Record in the event, which stood at 3:34.25 and was also set at the World Championships about two months ago. Juho Lee (53.54), Dongyeol Choi (59.12), Youngbeom Kim (51.76), and Sunwoo Hwang (47.63) combined to get the job done.

Japan picked up another bronze medal on the night, coming in 3rd with a 3:32.52.