2023 Asian Games: Day 5 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 Live Recap
• Day 4 Finals Live Recap

DAY 5 FINALS EVENT SCHEDULE

• Women’s 50 Freestyle – Final
• Men’s 50 Butterfly – Final
• Women’s 200 Breaststroke – Final
• Men’s 200 Breaststroke – Final
• Men’s 800 Freestyle – Final
• Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay – Final
• Women’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – Final

It’s day 5 time! Tonight’s finals session of the Asian Games features seven events, including two relays. There is also a nice mix of sprint and longer events, with the women’s 50 free and men’s 50 fly, along with the 200 breast for both men and women, and the men’s 800 free.

The men’s 200 breast will see World Record holder Qin Haiyang in action. Qin led prelims of the event this morning with a very relaxed 2:11.76. Given how well he’s swum in the 100 breast so far at this meet, we can expect Qin to be much faster in finals tonight.

China’s Zhang Yufei will be racing in the women’s 50 free final tonight. Zhang set the Asian Games Record in the event this morning with a 24.50. She led the field by nearly half-a-second this morning, though Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey shouldn’t be taken lightly in finals tonight. Haughey broke the Asian Record in the 100 free earlier in the meet, so tonight’s race between Zhang and Haughey should be an exciting one.

WOMEN’S 50 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 23.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden (2023)
• Asian Record: 23.97 – Liu Xiang, China (2021)
• Asian Games Record: 24.50 – Zhang Yufei, China (2023)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Zhang Yufei (China) – 24.26 (ASIAN GAMES RECORD)
• SILVER: Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong) – 24.34
• BRONZE: Cheng Yujie (China) – 24.60

As expected, the women’s 50 free final was an amazing race. China’s Zhang Yufei ultimately came out on top, swimming a 24.26. The performance marks a new Asian Games Record, tearing down the 24.50 Zhang set in prelims this morning. Zhang holds a personal best of 24.15, which she swam about two months ago at the World Championships.

Also coming in under the Asian Games Record was Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, who finished in 24.34, just 0.08 seconds behind Zhang. Not only was Haughey also under the Asian Games Record mark, she broke her own Hong Kong Record in the event with her performance tonight. Haughey held that record at 24.44, a time which she swam about a month ago at the Hong Kong Open Championships.

China’s 2nd swimmer in the event, Cheng Yujie, grabbed the bronze medal. She touched in 24.60, marking a strong swim for her. Cheng has a career best of 24.41, which she set back in 2021.

MEN’S 50 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

• World Record: 22.27 – Andriy Govorov, Ukraine (2018)
• Asian Record: 22.93 – Joseph Schooling, Singapore (2017)
• Asian Games Record: 23.39 – Baek Inchul, South Korea (2023)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Baek Inchul (South Korea) – 23.29 (ASIAN GAMES RECORD)
• SILVER: Tzen Wei Teong (Singapore) – 23.34
• BRONZE: Adilbek Mussin (Kazakhstan) – 23.44

For the second time today, South Korea’s Baek Inchul set the Asian Games Record in the men’s 50 fly. Baek clocked a 23.29 tonight, winning gold and clipping his 23.39 from this morning. In addition to the Asian Games Record, Baek cracked the South Korean Record in the event as well.

While he won gold, this was a very tight race, seeing Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong touch 2nd in 23.34. Kazakhstan’s Adilbek Mussin earned the bronze medal tonight with a 23.44.

This also marks the first event of these Asian Games in which China didn’t earn a medal. Wang Changhao came in 4th tonight, touching in 23.46.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:17.55 – Evgeniya Chikunova, Russia (2023)
• Asian Record: 2:19.65 – Rie Kaneto, Japan (2016)
• Asian Games Record: 2:21.82 – Kanako Watanabe, Japan (2014)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Ye Shiwen (China) – 2:23.84
• SILVER: Kwon Sehyun (South Korea) – 2:26.31
• BRONZE: Runa Imai (Japan) – 2:26.41

Though China was off the podium in the last event, the host country found themselves right back on top in the women’s 200 breast. Ye Shiwen won the event handily, clocking a 2:23.84. She touched nearly 2.5 seconds ahead of South Korea’s Kwon Sehyun, who in turn was just ahead of Japan’s Runa Imai.

Ye was out in 33.18 tonight, then split 36.31 on the 2nd 50 for a 1:09.49 on the opening 100. She then split 36.46 on the 3rd 50 and came home in 37.89. Ye was a bit off her career best of 2:22.44, which she swam earlier this year.

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang, China (2023)
• Asian Record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang, China (2023)
• Asian Games Record: 2:07.67 – Dmitriy Balandin, Kazakhstan (2014)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Qin Haiyang (China) – 2:07.03 (ASIAN GAMES RECORD)
• SILVER: Dong Zhihao (China) – 2:08.67
• BRONZE: Ippei Watanabe (Japan) – 2:09.91

Chinese superstar Qin Haiyang sped to victory in the men’s 200 breast tonight, swimming a 2:07.03. Qin was a bit off his World Record of 2:05.48, but took down the Asian Games Record of 2:07.67, which had stood since 2014. He was out pretty fast tonight, splitting 1:00.75 on the opening 100m. He fell off the pace just a little bit, splitting 1:06.28 coming home.

It was a great event for China, as Dong Zhihao came in 2nd with a 2:08.67. Zhihao was just off his career best of 2:08.04, which he swam at the World Champs about two months ago.

Japan earned the bronze medal with Ippei Watanabe clocking a 2:09.91 for 3rd.

MEN’S 800 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, China (2009)
• Asian Record: 7:32.12 – Zhang Lin, China (2009)
• Asian Games Record: 7:48.36 – Sun Yang, China (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Kim Woomin (South Korea) – 7:46.03 (ASIAN GAMES RECORD)
• SILVER: Fei Liwei (China) – 7:49.90
• BRONZE: Nguyen Huy Hoang (Vietnam) – 7:51.44

In yet another Asian Games Record performance, South Korea’s Kim Woomin clocked a 7:46.03 to win gold in the men’s 800 free. Not only did Kim take down Sun Yang’s Asian Games Record of 7:48.36, he broke his own South Korean Record of 7:47.69, which he had just set at the World Championships.

Kim was out fast tonight, splitting 3:50.04 on the opening 400m. He wasn’t quite able to match that speed on the back half of the race, as he split 3:55.99 on the final 400m.

China’s Fei Liwei came in 2nd tonight with a 7:49.90. He stayed 2-3 seconds behind Kim for the majority of the race, earning the silver medal.

Vietnam picked up a bronze medal tonight, thanks to Nguyen Huy Hoang clocking a 7:51.44 for 3rd.

MEN’S 4×100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 3:08.24 – United States (2008)
• Asian Record: 3:11.38 – China (2023)
• Asian Games Record: 3:12.68 – Japan (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: China – 3:10.88 (ASIAN RECORD)
• SILVER: South Korea – 3:12.96
• BRONZE: Japan – 3:14.26

China got the job done once again in a relay, taking the men’s 4×100 free relay in a new Asian Record of 3:10.88. The performance shattered the Asian Game Record of 3:12.68, also clipping the Asian Record of 3:11.38 by exactly half-a-second.

Pan Zhanle led the relay off in a blistering 47.06, setting the tone for the record-breaking relay. Chen Juner then clocked a 48.00 on the 2nd leg, while Hong Jinquan swam 48.27 on the 3rd leg. Wang Haoyu anchored the team in 47.55, speeding into the finish to earn the gold and break the record.

This performance is just the latest in a line this week that shown us China has emerged as a contender in many of the men’s relays on the world stage. We already know China has become a force to be reckoned with in the 4×100 medley, however, they’re now entering the fray in the 4×100 free as well. Their time tonight would have come in 4th at the World Championships this summer, however, they would have been only 0.07 seconds behind the United States, which finished 3rd (3:11.81). Italy (3:10.49) and Australia (3:10.16) weren’t that far ahead either.

South Korea once again put up an awesome performance in a men’s free relay. The South Korean squad of Ji Yuchan (48.90), Lee Hojoon (47.79), Kim Jihun (48.66), and Hwang Sunwoo (47.61) combined for a 3:12.96 to earn the silver medal. That performance smashed the South Korean Record in the event, which stood at 3:15.39 from October of 2022. South Korea has now very much entered the equation as potential finalist in this event at the Paris Olympics next summer as well, though they’re still outside medal contention at the moment.

Japan picked up the bronze medal tonight with a 3:14.26.

WOMEN’S 4×200 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 7:37.50 – Australia (2023)
• Asian Record: 7:40.33 – China (2021)
• Asian Games Record: 7:48.61 – China (2018)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: China – 7:49.34
• SILVER: Japan – 7:55.93
• BRONZE: South Korea – 8:00.11

China closed out the session with another gold medal, seeing their women’s 4×200 free relay finish first by over 6 seconds. Liu Yaxin (1:56.45), Cheng Yujie (1:58.56), Li Bingjie (1:56.14), and Li Jiaping (1:58.19) teamed up to clock a 7:49.34. They finished less than a second off the Asian Games Record, which China holds at 7:48.61 from 2018.

Japan was the only other team to break 8:00 tonight, swimming a 7:55.93 for 2nd. Rio Shirai (1:59.28), Nagisa Ikemoto (1:57.73), Waka Kobori (1:59.00), and Miyu Namba (1:59.92) teamed up to earn the silver medal.