Rikako Ikee Breaks Two Games Records On Second Night of Asian Games

Photo Courtesy: Jinq En Phee

The second night of finals from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia featured seven total events with China winning three and Japan winning four, tying the two countries for the most gold medals after two days. Rikako Ikee won two events on Monday night and set two Games Records while superstars Wang Shun, Sun Yang and Xu Jiayu brought home gold medals for China.

Kanako Watanabe also won a gold medal for Japan and the country closed out the session with an epic 4×200 free relay duel with China.

LIVE RESULTS

Men’s 800 Free

Sun Yang of China won his second gold medal in as many nights at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia as he won the 800 free on Monday night after he won the 200 on Sunday. Sun swam a 7:48.36 to win the second ever 800 free gold medal at the Asian Games. The race was contested one other time at the Asian Games and that was in 1951.

Sun won in convincing fashion ahead of Japan’s Shogo Takeda (7:53.01) and Vietnam’s Huy Nguyen (7:54.32). That is the first medal won by a Vietnamese swimmer on the men’s side at the Asian Games and only the third medal total by a Vietnamese swimmer at the Games. Vien Nguyen won two total medals at the 2014 Games in Incheon.

Japan’s Kohei Yamamoto (7:59.60) and China’s Ji Xinjie (7:59.99) also broke eight minutes in the final.

Sun Yang, CHN, 7:48.36, Games Record
Shogo Takeda, JPN, 7:53.01
Huy Nguyen, VIE, 7:54.32
Kohei Yamamoto, JPN, 7:59.60
Ji Xinjie, CHN, 7:59.99
Aflah Prawira, INA, 8:03.87
Ming Cheuk, HKG, 8:07.76
Advait Page, IND, 8:09.13

2018 Virtual World Championships

1. Mykhailo Romanchuk, UKR, 7:42.96, Europeans
2. Zane Grothe, USA, 7:43.74, Pan Pacs
3. Gregorio Paltrinieri, ITA, 7:45.12, Europeans
4. Jordan Wilimovsky, USA, 7:45.19, Pan Pacs
5. Florian Wellbrock, GER, 7:45.60, Europeans
6. Henrik Christiansen, NOR, 7:46.75, Europeans
7. Jack McLoughlin, AUS, 7:47.31, Pan Pacs
8. Sun Yang, CHN, 7:48.36, Games Record

Women’s 50 Fly

Rikako Ikee also won her second gold medal of the meet on Monday night in Jakarta, Indonesia but she won her first individual gold medal with the 50 fly. Ikee swam a 25.55 to break the Games Record of 25.83 by Lu Ying of China from 2014. This is only the fourth time the 50 fly has been contested at the Games and it is the first gold medal for Japan as only Singapore (2) and China (1) have won golds.

Ikee was the only to break 26 seconds in the final with Wang Yichun (26.03) and Lin Xintong (26.39) of China getting in the silver and bronze medal positions.

South Korea had two in the final with Park Yerin (26.53) and An Sehyeon (26.67) getting fourth and fifth.

Singapore’s Ting Quah (26.73), Taipei’s Huang Meichien (26.89) and Hong Kong’s Kin Lok Chan (27.22) also swam in the final.

Rikako Ikee, JPN, 25.55, Games Record
Wang Yichun, CHN, 26.03
Lin Xintong, CHN, 26.39
Park Yerin, KOR, 26.53
An Sehyeon, KOR, 26.67
Ting Quah, SIN, 26.73
Huang Meichien, TPE, 26.89
Kin Lok Chan, HKG, 27.22

Men’s 50 Back

China’s Xu Jiayu also won his second gold medal of the meet, this time taking out the 50 back at 24.75. Xu won the 100 back last night and has set himself up for a hat trick in the three backstroke events as the Chinese man won China’s first Asian Games gold medal in the 50 back with his swim on Monday night in Jakarta.

The 50 back has only been contested at these Games three times but every single time thus far had been won by Japan’s Junya Koga. Without him in the field in 2018, the race was wide open for someone to take the crown and Xu pounced on it. He finished just ahead of Japan’s Ryosuke Irie, who was going for four straight. Irie won the silver at 24.88 and Korea’s Kang Jiseok was bronze at 25.17.

China’s Wang Peng (25.28) finished off the podium in fourth.

The Indonesian crowd was cheering loudly for home favorite Gede Sudartawa, who was the top seed after prelims. He was perhaps Indonesia’s best chance to win a medal in swimming at these Games but he ended up fifth in the final at 25.29.

Singapore’s Zheng Quah (25.53), Korea’s Lee Juho (25.59) and Turkmenistan’s Merdan Atayev (25.88) also competed in the final.

Xu Jiayu, CHN, 24.75
Ryosuke Irie, JPN, 24.88
Kang Jiseok, KOR, 25.17
Wang Peng, CHN, 25.28
Gede Sudartawa, INA, 25.29
Zheng Quah, SIN, 25.53
Lee Juho, KOR, 25.59
Merdan Atayev, TKM, 25.88

Women’s 100 Free

It did not take long for Japan’s Rikako Ikee to gather a nice collection of Asian Games medals. Ikee won her third gold medal with the 100 free and set another Asian Games record in the process with a 53.27. Ikee lowered the old record quite a bit as it stood at 54.12 from Tang Yi from 2010.

Ikee is also the first Japanese swimmer to win this event at the Asian Games since Yoko Shimao in Seoul in 1986 as China has won seven straight gold medals in the 100 free at this meet. Ikee was able to deny China’s Zhu Menghui of continuing that streak as she settled for silver at 53.56. China’s Yang Junxuan finished in third at 54.17.

Japan’s Tomomi Aoki was fourth at 54.58 and former Cal swimmer Camille Cheng of Hong Kong was fifth at 55.39.

Korea’s Ko Miso (56.07), Philippines’ Jasmine Alkhaldi (56.29) and Thailand’s Kornkarnjana Sapianchai (56.85) also swam in the final.

Rikako Ikee, JPN, 53.27, Games Record
Zhu Menghui, CHN, 53.56
Yang Junxuan, CHN, 54.17
Tomomi Aoki, JPN, 54.58
Camille Cheng, HKG, 55.39
Ko Miso, KOR, 56.07
Jasmine Alkhaldi, PHI, 56.29
Kornkarnjana Sapianchai, THA, 56.85

2018 Virtual World Championships

Cate Campbell, AUS, 52.03, Pan Pacs
Bronte Campbell, AUS, 52.27, Commonwealth Games
Simone Manuel, USA, 52.66, Pan Pacs
Taylor Ruck, CAN, 52.72, Pan Pacs
Sarah Sjostrom, SWE, 52.93, Europeans
Mallory Comerford, USA, 52.94, Pan Pacs
Pernille Blume, DEN, 52.97, Europeans
Rikako Ikee, JPN, 53.14, Pan Pacs

Men’s 200 IM

In one of the most hotly contested events of the meet, China’s Wang Shun dethroned Japan’s 200 IM king Kosuke Hagino in the 200 IM final on Monday night in Jakarta. Wang swam a 1:56.52 to Hagino’s 1:56.75 in the final to win China’s first gold medal in the event since 1998. It is also only the third time a Chinese man has won the event at the Asian Games so Wang joins Li Zhongyi (1982) and Xiong Guoming (1998) as winners in the event for China.

China managed to get two on the podium with Qin Haiyang in the bronze medal position as he out-dueled another Japanese swimmer in Daiya Seto. Qin won the bronze with a 1:57.09 with Seto in fourth at 1:57.13. Those four swimmers were the only ones under two minutes.

All four swimmers managed to get into the Virtual World Championships final with Wang claiming the bronze medal. Hagino’s Pan Pac time would have put him fourth but it was not quick enough to get by Wang. Qin and Seto placed sixth and seventh respectively.

Hong Kong’s Kenneth To (2:01.76), Indonesia’s Triady Sidiq (2:02.09), Taipei’s Wang Hsinghao (2:02.68) and Singapore’s Pang Sheng Jun (2:03.08) also placed in the final.

Wang Shun, CHN, 1:56.52
Kosuke Hagino, JPN, 1:56.75
Qin Haiyang, CHN, 1:57.09
Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:57.13
Kenneth To, HKG, 2:01.76
Triady Sidiq, INA, 2:02.09
Wang Hsinghao, TPE, 2:02.68
Pang Sheng Jun, SIN, 2:03.08

Virtual World Championships

Chase Kalisz, USA, 1:55.40, Pan Pacs
Mitch Larkin, AUS, 1:56.21, Pan Pacs
Wang Shun, CHN, 1:56.52, Asian Games
Kosuke Hagino, JPN, 1:56.66, Pan Pacs
Jeremy Desplanches, SUI, 1:57.04, Europeans
Qin Haiyang, CHN, 1:57.09, Asian Games
Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:57.13, Asian Games
Abrahm DeVine, USA, 1:57.81, Pan Pacs

Women’s 200 Breast

Japan’s Kanako Watanabe came home with a flourish in the 200 breast final, overtaking China’s Yu Jingyao (2:23.31) and Japan’s Reona Aoki (2:23.33) over the final 50. Watanabe was able to successfully defend her 2014 title with another one in 2018. She was a little off her Games Record of 2:21.82 but she was still fast enough to win the gold medal regardless.

Watanabe put herself in the top eight at the Virtual World Championships with her swim. She joined fellow Japanese swimmer Satomi Suzuki with her time from Pan Pacs earlier in the month.

The top three in the final were well ahead of the rest of the field as China’s Zhang Xinyu (2:26.24) and Korea’s Back Suyeon (2:28.48) finished in fourth and fifth. Hong Kong’s Jamie Yeung (2:29.81), Taipei’s Lin Peiwun (2:33.39) and Singapore’s Samantha Yeo (2:33.75) also swam in the final. Both Yeung and Yeo swim at the University of Michigan.

Kanako Watanabe, JPN, 2:23.05
Yu Jingyao, CHN, 2:23.31
Reona Aoki, JPN, 2:23.33
Zhang Xinyu, CHN, 2:26.24
Back Suyeon, KOR, 2:28.48
Jamie Yeung, HKG, 2:29.81
Lin Peiwun, TPE, 2:33.39
Samantha Yeo, SIN, 2:33.75

Virtual World Championships

Yulia Efimova, RUS, 2:21.31, Europeans
Micah Sumrall, USA, 2:21.88, Pan Pacs
Tatjana Schoenmaker, RSA, 2:22.02, Commonwealths
Lilly King, USA, 2:22.12, Pan Pacs
Satomi Suzuki, JPN, 2:22.22, Pan Pacs
Jessica Vall, ESP, 2:23.02, Europeans
Kanako Watanabe, JPN, 2:23.05, Asian Games
Molly Renshaw, GBR, 2:23.28, Commonwealths

Men’s 4×200 Free Relay

In an epic race, Japan broke the Games Record with a 7:05.17, holding off a late charge from China who finished with the silver at 7:05.45. Both teams finished under the Games Record that Japan broke in 2014 at 7:06.74. Katsuhiro Matsumoto was out very fast in the anchor leg to try and swim away from China’s superstar Sun Yang. Matsumoto went out in a 50.14 to Sun’s 51.65. Matsumoto held on with his 1:44.85 split while Sun came home in a 1:44.19.

Naito Ehara (1:47.31), Reo Sakata (1:46.51), Kosuke Hagino (1:46.50) and Matsumoto (1:44.85) put up the third fastest time in the world this year as they will win the bronze medal in the Virtual World Championships behind United States and Australia, finishing just ahead of Great Britain’s Commonwealth Games add up time. China would have placed fifth with their team of Ji Xinjie (1:47.58), Shang Keyuan (1:47.15), Wang Shun (1:46.53) and Sun Yang (1:44.19).

Those two were well in front of everyone else as Singapore put together a solid relay for the bronze at 7:14.15. Zheng Quah (1:48.31) and Joseph Schooling (1:46.66) gave them some clear water up front with Kai Quan Yeo (1:49.23) and Jonathan Tan (1:49.95) closing the race for them to hold off South Korea at 7:15.26.

Japan has won every single gold medal in this event at the Asian Games except for in 2010 when China ended the streak.

Japan, 7:05.17, Games Record (Ehara, Sakata, Hagino, Matsumoto)
China, 7:05.45 (Ji, Shang, Wang, Sun)
Singapore, 7:14.15 (Quah, Schooling, Yeo, Tan)
South Korea, 7:15.26 (Yang, Jang, Kim, Lee)
Chinese Taipei, 7:24.48 (Wang, Huang, Wang, An)
Vietnam, 7:32.02 (Hoang, Ngo, Nguyen, Nguyen)
India, 7:37.07 (Nataraj, Sangvekar, Mani, Roy)
Hong Kong, DQ (Cheuk, Liao, Chan, Cheung)

Virtual World Championships

United States, 7:04.36, Pan Pacs
Australia, 7:04.70, Pan Pacs
Japan, 7:05.17, Asian Games
Great Britain, 7:05.30, Commonwealth Games aggregate
China, 7:05.45, Asian Games
Russia, 7:06.66, Europeans
Italy, 7:07.58, Europeans
Germany, 7:09.31, Europeans

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