Sun Yang Shatters Hours Old Asian Games Record In 800 Free

SWIMMING AT THE 2018 ASIAN GAMES

• August 19th-24th, 2018
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Schedule & Results

Sun Yang won his second gold medal of the 2018 Asian Games on day 2 with a big win in the men’s 800 freestyle, shattering the Games Record of 8:03.87 in a time of 7:48.36.

That previous record was set in the prelims, as Indonesian Aflah Prawira broke the 1951 record of Neo Chwee Kok who had been 11:02.2. This is the first time the men’s 800 has been contested at the Games since then.

The 26-year-old Sun cruised through the early stages of the race, sticking with Japan’s Shogo Takeda and Vietnam’s Nguyen Huy Hoang as he flipped at the halfway mark in 3:57.10. He turned up the heat towards the end of the race, splitting 1:53.48 over his final 200 to decimate the two others and run away with the gold in 7:48.36. He ended up negative-splitting the race by an incredibly wide margin, closing in 3:51.26 after his opening 400 of 3:57.1.

Sun’s swim improves his season-best of 7:50.47, and moves him up from 11th to 8th in the world rankings.

Takeda won silver in 7:53.01, and Nguyen broke his own Vietnamese Record to win bronze in 7:54.32. That took down his previous mark of 7:58.07.

After winning the 200 free on day 1, Sun will seek a third gold medal in just two days as he anchors China’s 800 free relay at the end of the session.