Fans and pundits tracking Meet Central entries and live results witnessed multiple records shatter during prelims at 10am local time and finals at 5pm local time.
Women’s 100 Butterfly Final: Yu Yiting Denies Zhang Yufei
In the women’s 100m butterfly final, 21-year-old Yu Yiting powered to a gold medal time of 56.41, leading a 1-2 Chinese punch that denied teammate and Olympic champion Zhang Yufei a repeat victory in the event, according to official race results. Zhang settled for silver in 56.44, opening in 26.07 compared to Yu’s first-split of 26.64, falling well short of her own 55.86 Games record set three years prior on home soil. Meanwhile, Natalie Kan of Hong Kong captured a surprise bronze in a national record of 58.05, erasing Olympic multi-medalist Siobhan Haughey’s 2023 benchmark of 58.12.
Men’s 100 Butterfly Final: Shoon Mitsunaga Smashes Games Record
Japan’s Shoon Mitsunaga backed up his scorching 49-point medley relay split by claiming gold in the men’s 100m butterfly with a lifetime best and national record of 50.56, according to meet recaps. Out of lane one, Mitsunaga split 23.79 on the way out and brought it home in 26.77 to fend off China’s Xu Fang—who took silver in a national record of 50.73—and defending champion Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan, who grabbed bronze in 51.36. Mitsunaga’s performance obliterated Joseph Schooling’s 2018 Games record of 51.04 and Naoki Mizunuma’s 2022 Japanese benchmark of 50.81, making him Asia’s #2 men’s 100m butterfly performer of all time.
Women’s 100 Backstroke: Peng Xuwei Secures Gold
The women’s 100m backstroke saw Peng Xuwei of China touch first in 59.30 to win by over half a second, following her 2:05.77 Asian Record-setting outing the previous night. Japan’s Rio Shirai secured the silver medal in 59.89, just shy of her 59.43 personal best from 2019, while 16-year-old Kim Seungwon of Korea rounded out the podium with a bronze in 1:00.10. Only two competitors dipped under the one-minute barrier during the final.
Men’s 200 Freestyle: Zhang Zhanshuo Rewrites the Record Books
Demonstrating staggering range after logging the fastest 4x200m freestyle relay split in history at 1:42.92, 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo of China captured gold in the men’s 200m freestyle with an Asian and Games record of 1:43.49. Despite trailing defending champion Hwang Sunwoo at the halfway point, Zhang closed fiercely with splits of 24.37, 26.41, 26.75, and a blistering 25.96 to erase Hwang’s previous continental mark of 1:43.92. Hwang took silver in 1:44.62, and Japan’s Tatsuya Murasa secured bronze in 1:44.81, lifting Zhang to the fifth-fastest performer in history.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke: Tang Qianting Dominates
Tang Qianting of China claimed the women’s 100m breaststroke gold in 1:04.98, standing alone as the only swimmer to break the 1:05 barrier in the final. The 2024 Olympic silver medalist split 30.01 on the opening fifty and 34.97 on the return to hold off 35-year-old Japanese veteran Satomi Suzuki, who took silver in 1:05.83. Katomi Kato of Japan claimed bronze in 1:06.37. Tang’s winning time erased Suzuki’s 2018 Games record of 1:06.40 and would have earned her gold at the Paris Olympic Games.
Women’s 400 IM: Yu Zidi Shines Again
Thirteen-year-old Yu Zidi delivered another sensational swim, dominating the women’s 400m individual medley in 4:28.56 to secure gold. Yu erased Ye Shiwen’s 2014 Games record of 4:32.97 and missed Ye’s 2012 Asian record by a mere 0.13 seconds, dropping nearly two seconds off her own previous best to become the fifth-fastest performer in history. Fellow countrywoman Ke Wenxi grabbed silver at 15 years old in 4:32.51, while Mio Narita of Japan took bronze in 4:33.45.
Mixed 4×100 Medley Relay: China Closes Strong
The evening concluded with the mixed 4×100 medley relay, where the Chinese quartet of Xu Jiayu, Dong Zhihao, Zhang Yufei, and Yu Yiting combined for a gold-medal time of 3:40.38. China touched over three seconds ahead of the field, leaving Japan to secure silver in 3:43.98. Korea rounded out the podium with a bronze medal and a new national record of 3:44.12, bolstered by a fast 57.86 backstroke split from 17-year-old Shin Ohashi.
Worth a look
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.