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
- Day 2 Finals Live Recap
- Day 3 Finals Live Recap
- Day 4 Finals Live Recap
- Day 5 Finals Live Recap
- Day 6 Finals Live Recap
The 19th Asian Games wrapped up over the weekend and now that the in-pool action has concluded, we’re taking stock of what transpired over six days in Hangzhou, China.
Busting out a monumental performance in the men’s 200m IM was 29-year-old Wang Shun.
Representing the host nation, Olympic champion Wang clocked a massive result of 1:54.62. That not only took the gold but it also established a new Asian Record and rendered Wang the 3rd-best performer in history.
Behind Wang was teammate Qin Haiyang who scored silver in 1:57.41 while Japan’s Daiya Seto also landed on the podium in 1:58.35 for bronze.
Seto and Wang also earned medals in the 400m IM, with the former claiming silver behind teammate Tomoru Honda while Wang bagged bronze.
These races were far from the first instances where Wang and Seto both appeared in the same swimming finals or on the same podiums, however. Whether at the last edition of the Asian Games in 2018 or at a World Championships, the pair have been racing against one another for nearly a decade.
Reflecting on the evolution of their competitive dynamic, last week Wang said of Seto, “We’ve been competing together for a really long time and we’ve known each other for a long time.
“We were both born in 1994. And there’s also [now-retired] Kosuke Hagino, too. We are all the same age.
“When we first appeared on the international stage, we went head-to-head, competing against each other really fiercely. We are still doing that now. We still give our best in competitions.
“But what’s different is that we started to appreciate each other. We started to acknowledge what we have achieved.
“For example, Daiya Seto has been the world champion 5 straight times in the short course men’s 400 IM. I think that is a historical result, and he is an outstanding swimmer. So he has been my inspiration, too.”
💬𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘅 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝘂𝗻🎙️
"@daiya_seto is outstanding. He's been my inspiration, too."
-🏊♂️The Chinese swimmer thinks good rivalries can encourage breakthroughs#HangzhouAsianGames #Swimming @19thAGofficial @alexpussieldi @swimswamnews @SwimNerds @swimcoverage pic.twitter.com/j5l8pd6mP8
— CGTN Sports Scene (@CGTNSportsScene) September 30, 2023
Beating Daiya Seto? Gold. Beating Duncan Scott for Gold @ 2020 Tokyo Olympics… PRICELESS
Daiya Seto didn’t have a good form this AG, he could have at least won a silver in the 200IM.
Defending Olympics Champion and the third fastest after Lochte and Phelps is not a bad resume.
I just think he needs to let go of 400 IM and focus on 200 IM in Paris where he has a chance to win.
I agree, I think he only swims the 400 IM because he’s the fastest in China but he’s just nowhere near as good as he is in the 200.
I think his focus should be the 200 IM, but his 200 free should be his secondary focus, not the 400 IM. 7:03 at Asian games is contention for top 5 at worlds and the Olympics every year and maybe a medal if someone slips up.
And regardless of how we all feel about the situation, Sun Yang comes back next year for Paris, and if he’s anywhere near the form he used to be in (which I highly doubt but crazier things have happened), that puts China in the 7:01… Read more »
16 year-old Zhang Zhanshuo had a breakthrough year and is now a 4:12 4IMer so Wang doesn’t have to focus on carrying the team in this event anymore. He’s best equipped to focus on the 200 IM and the 100 Back just to relieve some pressure off of Xu for relay prelims (and it’s pretty important too, fresh Xu and exhausted Xu are basically two different swimmers)