Chinese Swimmers Qin, Xu Secure Hat-Tricks; Zhang Wins 6th Gold at Hangzhou Asian Games

On the final day of the six-day swimming competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Chinese world champions Qin Haiyang and Xu Jiayu showcased their dominance by achieving hat-tricks in the men’s breaststroke and backstroke events, respectively. Meanwhile, Tokyo Olympic champion Zhang Yufei extended her impressive run by winning the women’s 50m butterfly, bringing her total gold medal count to six.

In the highly competitive men’s 50m breaststroke, Qin displayed his prowess by finishing first in a stylish 26.35 seconds. His compatriot, Sun Jiajun, secured the silver with a time of 26.92, while South Korean swimmer Choi Dongyeol claimed the bronze in 26.93.

Qin Haiyang, a 24-year-old world record-breaker in the 200m breaststroke, continued to shine at the Hangzhou Asian Games, completing a remarkable treble in the breaststroke disciplines.

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Backstroke specialist Xu Jiayu, who had previously won five gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, clinched the men’s 200m backstroke title with a time of 1:55.37. South Korea’s Lee Juho took the silver in 1:56.54, and Japan’s Hidekazu Takehara secured the bronze in 1:57.63. Xu’s exceptional performance earned him three gold medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events, bringing his total gold count at the Hangzhou Asiad to five.

Zhang Yufei, the Tokyo Olympic champion, continued her remarkable streak by claiming her sixth gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in the women’s 50m butterfly. She set a new Games record with a time of 25.10 seconds, surpassing the previous mark of 25.55 set by Japan’s Rikako Ikee at the Jakarta Asiad. Zhang’s teammate Yu Yiting secured the silver in 25.71, while Rikako Ikee settled for the bronze in 26.02. Despite battling illness, Zhang’s determination and skill shone through as she added another gold to her collection.

After her final race in Hangzhou, the emotional 25-year-old Zhang expressed her gratitude for the Asian Games and her aspirations for the Paris Olympic Games, aiming to perform at an even higher level. She modestly rated her performance at the Games at 95 out of 100.

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In other swimming events, 21-year-old Li Bingjie from China claimed the women’s 800m freestyle gold in eight minutes and 20.01 seconds, with Japan’s Waka Kobori and another Chinese swimmer, Yang Peiqi, securing the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

In the men’s 400m freestyle, South Korea’s Kim Woomin clinched the gold with a time of 3:44.36. China’s rising star, Pan Zhanle, finished second in 3:48.81, while Vietnam’s Nguyen Huy Hoang took home the bronze in 3:49.16.

Additionally, Japan’s Tomoru Honda set a Games record of 1:53.15 to win the men’s 200 butterfly title, and Japan secured the gold medal in the women’s 4x100m medley relay with a time of 3:57.67.

-IANS