Sun Yang, Xu Jiayu Cruise To Top Seeds to Open 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia

Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

The first morning of the 2018 Asian Games was a nice preview for what is in store the rest of the week. Japan really came to play in Jakarta with a lot of depth, but China has three of the five top seeds after the prelims. Sun Yang, Xu Jiayu and Liu Yaxin will have lane four for their respective events tonight.

Japan came to play with Satomi Suzuki and Daiya Seto getting top seeded times for them.

Live Results

Men’s 200 Free

China’s superstar Sun Yang cruised to the top seed in the 200 free heats with a 1:47.58, easily winning the last heat. Sun is the two-time defending silver medalist at the Asian Games in the 200 free and will be looking to get the gold medal that has eluded him. Neither Park Tae Hwan or Kosuke Hagino are entered in the event, the last two winners at the Games, so Sun should be the heavy favorite.

Sun is just ahead of Khader Baqlah of Jordan for the top spot as Baqlah was a 1:47.60 in the heats. Baqlah is going to be a junior at the University of Florida and he was fifth at NCAA’s this past season in the 200 free.

The two other 1:47’s in the heats came from Japan’s Naito Ehara (1:47.76) and Katsuhiro Matsumoto (1:47.94). Both guys were faster at Pan Pacs earlier this year.

South Korea’s Lee Hojoon (1:48.49), Malaysia’s Welson Sim (1:48.47), China’s Ji Xinjie (1:48.85) and Vietnam’s Hoang Quy (1:49.68) also qualified for the final.

Sun Yang, CHN, 1:47.58
Khader Baqlah, JOR, 1:47.60
Naito Ehara, JPN, 1:47.76
Katsuhiro Matsumoto, JPN, 1:47.94
Lee Hojoon, KOR, 1:48.49
Welson Sim, MAS, 1:48.47
Ji Xinjie, CHN, 1:48.85
Hoang Quy, VIE, 1:49.68

Women’s 200 Back

China’s Liu Yaxin posted the top time in the heats with a 2:09.52. She is a little off the Games Record of 2:06.46 by Zhao Jing from the 2010 Games but she will have lane four in the final. Her Chinese teammate Peng Xuwei is the second seed at 2:11.39. They will be chasing a spot to get up in the world rankings after Canada’s Kylie Masse posted a 2:05.98 at the Commonwealth Games.

There is a trio of women who could get the bronze medal with South Korea’s Im Dasol (2:12.24) and Japan’s Sayaka Akase (2:12.25) and Natsumi Sakai (2:12.30) posting 2:12’s. Sakai was a 2:08 at Pan Pacs earlier this month and could be a gold medal favorite. Akase is hoping to repeat her 2014 performance with another gold medal.

Liu Yaxin, CHN, 2:09.52
Peng Xuwei, CHN, 2:11.39
Im Dasol, KOR, 2:12.24
Sayaka Akase, JPN, 2:12.25
Natsumi Sakai, JPN, 2:12.30
Kwan Wong, HKG, 2:15.98
Nurul Fitriyati, INA, 2:18.64
Roxanne Yu, PHI, 2:19.12

Men’s 100 Back

China’s Xu Jiayu (53.60) and Japan’s Ryosuke Irie (53.85) will set up a big duel in the 100 back final as Xu will have lane four in the final on the first night of the Asian Games in Jakarta. Xu is the reigning World Champion but Irie is the two time defending Asian Games champion, winning in 2014 with a 52.34. Irie has already been a 52.78 and both guys will be looking to break that 52 second barrier that American Ryan Murphy already broke this year.

There will be a big battle for the bronze medal as China’s Li Guangyuan (54.34) and Japan’s Masaki Kaneko (54.81) are seeded third and fourth. They are ahead of Korea’s Lee Juho (55.03) and behind him is a group of guys that could play spoiler.

Missouri State alum Paul Le (55.47) representing Vietnam is the sixth seed ahead of the home favorite Gede Sudartawa (55.48) of Indonesia and India’s Srihari Nataraj (55.86).

Xu Jiayu, CHN, 53.60
Ryosuke Irie, JPN, 53.85
Li Guangyuan, CHN, 54.34
Masaki Kaneko, JPN, 54.81
Lee Juho, KOR, 55.03
Paul Le, VIE, 55.47
Gede Sudartawa, INA, 55.48
Srihari Nataraj, IND, 55.86

Women’s 100 Breast

Japan showed off its impressive depth with Satomi Suzuki (1:06.92) and Reona Aoki (1:07.24) posting the top two 100 breast times on the first morning from Jakarta. Suzuki was a 1:06.51 at Pan Pacs earlier in the year and she will be looking to improve on that swim. Suzuki is looking to get back on the podium after placing fourth in 2014 in this event. Suzuki was the silver medalist in 2010.

China’s Shi Jinglin is the third seed with a 1:07.68 as the defending Asian Games champion is within striking distance of the two Japanese swimmers. China has won seven of the last eight gold medals in the 100 breast and Shi is looking to continue that streak.

Hong Kong’s Jamie Yeung (1:07.86) and Malaysia’s Jinq En Phee (1:08.83) made the final as both swimmers represent Big Ten schools. Yeung is going to be a senior at Michigan and Phee is going to be a junior at Purdue.

China’s Yu Jingyao (1:08.52), Korea’s Kim Hyejin (1:08.64) and Back Su Yeon (1:09.08) also made the final.

Satomi Suzuki, JPN, 1:06.92
Reona Aoki, JPN, 1:07.24
Shi Jinglin, CHN, 1:07.68
Jamie Yeung, HKG, 1:07.86
Yu Jingyao, CHN, 1:08.52
Kim Hyejin, KOR, 1:08.64
Jinq En Phee, MAS, 1:08.83
Back Su Yeon, KOR, 1:09.08

Men’s 200 Fly

Japan continued to show it has come to play at the 2018 Asian Games with Daiya Seto (1:57.23) and Nao Horomura (1:58.06) taking the top spots in the 200 fly heats on Sunday morning in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Seto was a 1:54.34 at the Pan Pacs earlier this month and he will be looking to improve on that. Seto is also the defending Asian Games gold medalist. He will be chasing the Games Record of 1:54.02 by Takeshi Matsuda from 2010.

Horomura is the second seed and he will be looking to improve on his dismal Pan Pac performance where he did not even make the final. He has been as quick as a 1:53 before so he could give Seto a run for his money.

China’s Li Zhuhao (1:58.21) is the fourth seed and could also challenge for a medal. India’s Sajan Prakash (1:58.12) was the surprise third seed as India only has nine total medals in swimming at the Asian Games.

China’s Wang Zhou (1:58.71), Taipei’s Wang Kuanhung (1:58.73), Singapore’s Zheng Quah (1:59.17) and South Korea’s Park Junghun (2:00.57) also qualified for the final.

Daiya Seto, JPN, 1:57.23
Nao Horomura, JPN, 1:58.06
Sajan Prakash, IND, 1:58.12
Li Zhuhao, CHN, 1:58.21
Wang Zhou, CHN, 1:58.71
Wang Kuanhung, TPE, 1:58.73
Zheng Quah, SIN, 1:59.17
Park Junghun, KOR, 2:00.57

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Biggest SWIM NERD

5 years ago

Is there a working livestream?

Alicia Coutts

5 years ago

Live video??

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Andy Ross

5 years ago

Reply to Alicia Coutts

Have not found any working stream yet 🙁

Halim Yussuf

5 years ago

Sun Yang should perform well.

Pro Women Fitness

5 years ago

Here, take my like 🙂