19TH ASIAN GAMES
- Sunday, September 24th – Friday, September 29th (swimming)
- Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena, Hangzhou, China
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Results
- Livestream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chdU7e20jsQ
As the opening ceremony for the 19th Asian Games is currently underway, we’re keeping an eye on the swimmers among the contingents of the 45 National Olympic Committees represented in Hangzhou, China.
We reported how newly-minted World Record holder Qin Haiyang is carrying the flag for the host nation while Taiwan’s Eddie Wang (Wang Kuan-hung) and Korea’s Kim Seoyeong have also had the honor bestowed upon them.
21-year-old Wang made history this year by becoming the first-ever man from his nation to reach a swimming World Championships final. He notched a time of 1:55.43 to place 8th in the men’s 200m butterfly in Fukuoka this summer.
As for Seoyeong, she’ll be joining sabre fencer Gu Bon-gil as co-flag bearer.
29-year-old Seoyeong took home gold in the women’s 200m IM and silver in the 400m IM at the last edition of the Games in 2018 in Jakarta.
Korea on the whole is aiming to finish 3rd in the medals table with a gold medal target of at least 45.
Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Lee Kee-heung said this week,
“This year’s Asian Games will mark the new beginning for South Korean sports. We have been making progress in many different sports and have seen the emergence of young athletes.
“I can’t wait to see our athletes tackle challenges at this year’s Asian Games.
“I hope our athletes will see their hard work and dedication pay off.” (InsidetheGames)
Nguyễn Huy Hoàng of Vietnam is another swimmer who has been named flag bearer as well. This isn’t the first time the 23-year-old has held the honor, as he was flag bearer at the 2020 Olympic Games as well as this year’s Southeast Asia (SEA) Games.
At the 2018 Asian Games, Hoang bagged bronze in the men’s 800m free and snagged silver in the 1500m free. Vietnam is set to be represented by a delegation including 90 coaches and 337 athletes competing in 31 sports.
haven’t heard that name in a while! One of the great things about isl was seeing international upon coming stars like eddie. Remember the rumors he was hanging with dressel during practices!