Incheon, South Korea – Japan’s new swimming sensation Kosuke Hagino produced an astonishing upset over heavyweights Sun Yang and Park Tae-Hwan Sunday to win Asian Games gold in the men’s 200 metres freestyle.
Even Hagino’s coach had given the medley specialist “zero chance” of upsetting the joint favourites but an eye-popping final 50 metres saw the Japanese storm through to win in one minute, 45.23 seconds in Incheon.
“I didn’t realise I’d won,” Hagino told reporters. “I had goosebumps. I knew they would be going at it over the first half of the race so I just tried to hang on.”
Park, bidding to become first South Korean swimmer to win a gold medal in three successive Asian Games – in an arena named after him – admitted the pressure might have got to him in the first of his triple-header against Chinese rival Sun.
“It was a big burden,” said the former Olympic 400m champion. “I feel sorry I couldn’t overcome that pressure. A lot of people were talking about the ‘triple crown’ – winning three Asian titles in a row. And also swimming in a pool with my name.”
Sun, the reigning Olympic 400m and 1 500m title holder, blamed defeat on a sore thumb after touching just 0.05 behind Hagino, claiming he injured it during one of the turns.
“I injured my left thumb a little bit and I couldn’t do my best,” he said, shaking his hand. “He caught me in the last 50
metres but I’m okay with the silver medal. I learnt a lot from tonight.”
Hagino, 20, who like his idol Michael Phelps races a broad range of events, trailed the superstars at the 150m split but his lightning finish silenced a crowd roaring themselves hoarse for local hero Park, who clocked 1:45.85.
“It was important for Japan to get off to a good start,” said Hagino after helping his country split Sunday’s six gold medals with China.
“It will give us all confidence and give me a lift the next time I face Sun and Park.”
Park and Sun, whose races have been hyped as the highlight of the quadrennial Games, are scheduled to meet again in the 400m and 1 500m.
Hagino, who scored a pulsating victory over Phelps at last month’s Pan Pacific championships, returned to the pool for the 100m backstroke, taking bronze behind Japanese team-mate Ryosuke Irie and China’s Xu Jiayu.
Irie won in a new Games record of 52.34 seconds and equalling Xu’s world-best time for the year. Xu clocked 52.81 for silver with Hagino third in 53.71.
Daiya Seto made it three gold medals for Japan’s men on the opening night by tearing to victory in the 200m butterfly in 1:54.08 – 1.39 seconds ahead of countryman Kenta Hira with Joseph Schooling snaffling the bronze for Singapore.
Zhang Yuhan won gold in the women’s 400m freestyle, touching in 4:07.67 ahead of compatriot Bi Yirong. Japan’s Chihiro Igarashi took bronze.
Shi Jinglin bagged another gold for China’s women with a touch-out victory over Japan’s Kanako Watanabe in the 100m breaststroke, setting a new Games record of 1:06.67.
China made it 3-3 with Japan on the night, winning the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay in a time of 3:37.25.
China have dominated the Asian Games swimming in recent years, winning 24 of the 38 golds at Guangzhou in 2010, with Japan finishing a distant second with nine. – Sapa-AFP