Kosuke Hagino’s 200 IM Sizzler Highlights Day Two Finals at Asian Games

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

INCHEON, South Korea, September 22. Japan’s Kosuke Hagino continued his march towards MVP honors here at the Asian Games as he blitzed the 200 IM, and ran his total medal tally to four with three golds and a bronze at the Asian Games.

The other big news of the evening was that Sun Yang pulled out of the men’s 800 free relay due to injury, and will see if he can even continue with any other events the rest of the meet.

LIVE RESULTS

Scheduled Events

Women’s 50 fly
Men’s 50 back
Women’s 100 free
Men’s 200 IM
Women’s 200 breast
Men’s 800 free relay

Medal Standings

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Women’s 50 fly

Photo Courtesy: Joao Marc Bosch

Li Tao’s two-Games reign over the women’s sprint fly ended tonight as China’s Lu Ying crushed the meet record with a time of 25.83 for the win. That time bested Tao’s meet record of 26.10 from the 2010 edition of the Asian Games, and moved Lu up to seventh in the world ahead of Brittany Elmslie’s 25.91 from the Commonwealth Games.

Tao, who had previously won the event in 2006 and 2010, wound up second in 26.28, while China’s Liu Lan finished third in 26.72.

Japan’s Misaki Yamaguchi (26.76), South Korea’s Sehyeon An (26.96), Kazakhstan’s Elmira Aigaliyeva (27.02), Hong Kong’s Hang Yu Sze (27.18) and South Korea’s Seojin Hwang (27.28) put up the rest of the times in the finale.

Men’s 50 back

Photo Courtesy: Mike Comer/ProSwimVisuals.com

The Games record fell for the third time today as Japan’s Junya Koga obliterated the field at the start, then raced to a blistering time of 24.28 for the win to defend his title. That event smashed the Games record of 24.46 from prelims, and nearly matched his Asian record of 24.24 from the 2009 World Championships. Koga vaulted to the top of the world with the time, ahead of Camille Lacourt’s 24.37 set at the French Nationals.

Japan went 1-2 in the finale as Ryosuke Irie dropped a swift second-place 24.98, while China’s Xu Jiayu earned third in 25.24. Irie has been faster this year with a 24.86 at the Japanese Nationals.

Indonesia’s Siman Sudartawa (25.42), South Korea’s Seonkwan Park (25.44), China’s Sun Xiaolei (25.46), Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Tarabrin (25.77) and Uzbekistan’s Daniil Bukin (26.25) closed out the finale.

Women’s 100 free

Photo Courtesy: Xinhua/Ding Xu

Shen Duo, who had an amazing Youth Olympic Games that included a FINA World Junior record of 53.84, went out fast and held off a hard-charging teammate Tang Yi to win the gold medal, 54.37 to 54.45. While those might not have been the times China was looking for, considering Tang set the Asian Games record with a 54.12 in 2010, the 1-2 finish certainly had to be welcome.

Japan’s Miki Uchida turned in a 54.66 to round out the podium, while Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey wound up fourth overall in 54.94.

Japan’s Yayoi Matsumoto (55.97), Hong Kong’s Camille Cheng (56.18), South Korea’s Miso Ko (56.53) and Thailand’s Natthanan Junkrajang (56.65) also vied for the title this evening.

Top Splits

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Men’s 200 IM

Photo Courtesy: Tobiuo Japan

Japan’s Kosuke Hagino continued his ascendance as the next in a long line of amazing Asian swimmers as he won his third medal and second gold of the meet with a blazing meet record in the 200 IM. Hagino led wire-to-wire with a scorching time of 1:55.34, which we originally reported as an Asian record. However, it looked like Hagino’s time from the Japan Intercollegiate Championships was a bit faster earlier this month with a 1:55.33, but never made its way into any of the records books yet. That time stands as the top time in the world this year as well. Incidentally, Hagino’s time also crushed the Games record of 1:58.31 set by Ken Takakuwa back in 2010.

No one else had a chance to compete with Hagino as his teammate Hiromasa Fujimori finished more than three seconds back with a 1:58.56 for second, with China’s Wang Shun hitting the wall in 1:59.10 for third overall.

Singapore’s Joseph Schooling finished fourth in 2:00.11 with China’s Mao Feilian earning fifth in 2:00.69.

Indonesia’s Triady Sidiq (2:02.80), South Korea’s Wonyong Jung (2:03.10) and Uzbekistan’s Aleksey Derlyugov (2:03.77) comprised the rest of the finale.

Top Splits

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Women’s 200 breast

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Japan’s Kanako Watanabe had just enough in the tank to touch out teammate Rie Kaneto, 2:21.82 to 2:21.92, as both swimmers crushed the meet record of 2:23.92 from the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Watanabe went out fast, then had to hold off Kaneto’s final charge.

Watanabe and Kaneto have both been faster this year with Watanabe (2:21.09) and Kaneto (2:21.58) also going 1-2 in the event at Japanese Nationals.

China’s Shi Jinglin threw down a 2:23.58 to take bronze, off her fifth-ranked 2:22.90 from the Chinese Nationals.

South Korea’s Suyeon Back (2:25.79), China’s Zhang Xinyu (2:26.03), South Korea’s Minji Kwon (2:27.53), Taipei’s Pei Wun Lin (2:33.15) and Thailand’s Phiangkhwan Pawapotako (2:33.28) put up the rest of the finishes in the finale.

Top Splits

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Men’s 800 free relay

Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr

Even if Sun Yang had not been injured, there’s little doubt Japan would not have won in the men’s 800-meter free relay as the squad of Yuki Kobori, Kosuke Hagino, Daiya Seto and Takeshi Matsuda smashed the Games record with a 7:06.74. Sparked by a sizzling 1:44.97 split from Hagino, Japan downed the 7:07.68 set by China back in 2010 at the Guangzhou event.

China, meanwhile, took a distance second nearly 10 seconds back as Li Yunqi, Lin Yongqing, Mao Feilian and Xu Qiheng posted a 7:16.51, while South Korea’s Kiwoong Nam, Junehyuck Yang, Jeongsoo Jeong and Tae Hwan Park placed third in 7:21.37.

Singapore (7:25.46), Taipei (7:29.28), India (7:34.50), Hong Kong (7:34.57) and Macau (8:00.83) also entered in teams.

Japan’s Splits: 7:06.74

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