{"id":326225,"date":"2018-08-20T05:46:04","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T12:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=326225"},"modified":"2019-07-21T01:31:59","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T08:31:59","slug":"kanako-watanabe-storms-home-for-200-breast-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kanako-watanabe-storms-home-for-200-breast-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Kanako Watanabe Storms Home For 200 Breast Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japan’s\u00a0Kanako Watanabe\u00a0<\/strong>came home with a flourish in the 200 breast final, overtaking China’s\u00a0Yu Jingyao\u00a0<\/strong>(2:23.31) and Japan’s\u00a0Reona Aoki\u00a0<\/strong>(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.<\/p>\n

Watanabe put herself in the top eight at the Virtual World Championships with her swim. She joined fellow Japanese swimmer\u00a0Satomi Suzuki\u00a0<\/strong>with her time from Pan Pacs earlier in the month.<\/p>\n

The top three in the final were well ahead of the rest of the field as China’s\u00a0Zhang Xinyu\u00a0<\/strong>(2:26.24) and Korea’s\u00a0Back Suyeon\u00a0<\/strong>(2:28.48) finished in fourth and fifth. Hong Kong’s\u00a0Jamie Yeung\u00a0<\/strong>(2:29.81), Taipei’s\u00a0Lin Peiwun\u00a0<\/strong>(2:33.39) and Singapore’s\u00a0Samantha Yeo\u00a0<\/strong>(2:33.75) also swam in the final. Both Yeung and Yeo swim at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Kanako Watanabe<\/strong>, JPN, 2:23.05<\/li>\n
  2. Yu Jingyao<\/strong>, CHN, 2:23.31<\/li>\n
  3. Reona Aoki<\/strong>, JPN, 2:23.33<\/li>\n
  4. Zhang Xinyu<\/strong>, CHN, 2:26.24<\/li>\n
  5. Back Suyeon<\/strong>, KOR, 2:28.48<\/li>\n
  6. Jamie Yeung<\/strong>, HKG, 2:29.81<\/li>\n
  7. Lin Peiwun<\/strong>, TPE, 2:33.39<\/li>\n
  8. Samantha<\/strong> Yeo<\/strong>, SIN, 2:33.75<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Virtual World Championships<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Yulia Efimova<\/strong>, RUS, 2:21.31, Europeans<\/li>\n
    2. Micah Sumrall<\/strong>, USA, 2:21.88, Pan Pacs<\/li>\n
    3. Tatjana Schoenmaker<\/strong>, RSA, 2:22.02, Commonwealths<\/li>\n
    4. Lilly King<\/strong>, USA, 2:22.12, Pan Pacs<\/li>\n
    5. Satomi Suzuki<\/strong>, JPN, 2:22.22, Pan Pacs<\/li>\n
    6. Jessica Vall<\/strong>, ESP, 2:23.02, Europeans<\/li>\n
    7. Kanako Watanabe<\/strong>, JPN, 2:23.05, Asian Games<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
    8. Molly<\/strong> Renshaw<\/strong>, GBR, 2:23.28, Commonwealths<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n