2018 Asian Games Day 4 Preview: Schooling & Balandin Set To Splash

SWIMMING AT THE 2018 ASIAN GAMES

• August 19th-24th, 2018
• Jakarta, Indonesia
• Schedule & Results

We were treated to a World Record on day three of the 2018 Asian Games, courtesy of Chinese swimmer Liu Xiang‘s 26.98 50m backstroke and day four of the Games has some intriguing races lined up as well.

200m fly gold medalist here in Jakarta, Daiya Seto of Japan, fell off the podium in the 200m IM, but will try to exact revenge in tomorrow’s 400m IM. His major competition should come from domestic rival and 200m IM silver medalist Kosuke Hagino, as well as from Chinese 200m IM gold medalist Wang Shun.

A man who has been missing from the action thus far, Dmitriy Balandin of Kazakhstan, is set to race tomorrow in the men’s 100m breast after withdrawing from his more dangerous 200m event. Balandin has cited a lower leg injury as cause for his reduced schedule.

The Kazakshstani will face quite the arsenal of Asian breaststroking power in the men’s 100m distance, with the gold and silver medalists, Yasuhiro Koseki and Ippei Watanabe, lined up to do some damage in the sprint. China’s Yan Zibei and Qin Haiyang are also contenders for the podium.

Korea’s An Sehyeon will race in the women’s 200m fly in a bid to give its women’s team its 1st gold medal of these Games, as Kim Seoyeong took silver tonight in the 400m IM behind Japan’s Yui Ohashi.

Japanese superstar Rikako Ikee will not be racing in the women’s 200m free, but will leave it to teammates Ohashi and Chihiro Igarashi to pull down the gold. Ohashi had been making strides in this event, producing a solid 1:57.97 at the Japan Swim this year. Prior to that, Ohashi’s personal best rested at the 1:59-arena.

Although Ohashi won the 400m IM last night, her split on the women’s 4x200m free relay later in the session was the slowest of her squad (2:01.33), so her performance tomorrow may be somewhat of a wild card. Plus, she’ll contend with Chinese athletes Li Bingjie and Yang Junxuan, who both carry quicker seed times.

Perhaps the marquee event of the prelims session will be the men’s 100m fly, as the reigning Olympic champion Joseph Schooling will be in the pool racing. The 23-year-old opened his Games on a high note, producing a quick 1:46.66 leg on his nation’s bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay. But he faltered on day 3, registering just a 23.05 in the 50m free to find himself out of the finals.

Attempting to stand in Schooling’s way will be Japan’s Yuki Kobori, China’s Li Zhuhao, as well as his own fellow teammate Quah Zheng Wen.

The men’s 4x100m freestyle relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay will also be contested on day 4.