2026 Asian Games: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2026 ASIAN GAMES

• September twentieth – September twenty fifth (pool swimming)
• Prelims at 10am native (9pm earlier night time ET)/Finals at 5pm native (4am ET)
• Tokyo Aquatics Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
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It’s the 2nd day of the Asian Games in Tokyo, and now we have a stacked prelims lineup for you this night (or morning for a lot of worldwide readers).

Tonight’s lineup will characteristic prelims for the lads’s and girls’s 50 backstroke, males’s 50 freestyle, girls’s 200 freestyle, males’s 100 breaststroke, girls’s 200 IM, and the lads’s 4×200 freestyle relay.

Xu Jiayu of China, who holds the Asian Record within the 50 again and is tied for the fastest-ever Asian Games efficiency on this occasion at 24.38, is the defending champion and might be racing within the third and last warmth of the occasion’s prelims. On the ladies’s facet, Wan Letian will look to earn her place within the finals as the highest seed within the 50 again in 27.42.

Ian Yentou Ho enters the lads’s 50 free as the highest seed in 21.71, although he’ll face heavy stress from a number of sub-22 entrants. The girls’s 200 free will characteristic Siobhan Haughey, aiming to defend her 2023 Asian Games title and probably decrease each her Asian and Games information.

Dong Zhihao is available in as the highest seed within the males’s 100 breast in 58.57, although he’ll face stiff challengers in Qin Haiyang and Shin Ohashi in one of many meet’s most anticipated showdowns. Asian Record holder Yu Yiting, one of many greatest stars of this meet, is available in as the highest seed within the girls’s 200 IM; she’s going to race within the third and last warmth of the prelims, proper subsequent to 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi.

Men’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record – 23.55, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS), 2023
• Asian Record – 23.92, Xu Jiayu (CHN), 2026
• Games Record – 24.38, Junya Koga (JPN), 2014/ Xu Jiayu (CHN), 2023
• 2023 Champion – 24.38, Xu Jiayu (CHN)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Xu Jiayu (CHN) – 24.64
2. Jihwan Yoon (KOR) – 24.74
3. Wang Zicheng (CHN) – 24.80
4. Tedd Chan (SGP) – 24.97
5. Jason Yusuf (INA) – 25.13
6. Mu-Lun Chuang (TPE) – 25.15
7. Stepan Goncharov (BRN) – 25.18
8. Reo Miura (JPN)

It was pre-meet prime seed and present Asian Record holder Xu Jiayu taking the highest trip of the prelims in 24.64, a time that’s effectively off of his Asian Record of 23.92, although it does earn him the center lane for the finals.

Only three different swimmers within the prelims managed to get their hand on the wall beneath 25 seconds, these being Korea’s Jihwan Yoon (24.74), China’s Wang Zicheng (24.80), and Singapore’s Tedd Chan (24.97).

It took 25.19 to achieve the highest 8, with a close to two tenths of a second hole between eighth place performer Reo Miura of Japan (25.19) and the subsequent closest rivals.

Women’s 50 Backstroke – Prelims

• World Record – 26.56, Sara Curtis (ITA), 2026
• Asian Record – 26.98, Liu Xiang (CHN), 2018
• Games Record – 26.98, Liu Xiang (CHN), 2018
• 2023 Champion – 28.21, Miki Takahashi (JPN)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Wan Letian (CHN) – 27.66
2. Kim Seungwon (KOR) – 27.91
3. Wang Xueer (CHN) – 28.15
4. Kayla Sanchez (PHI) – 28.24
5. Rio Shirai (JPN) – 28.35
6. Miri Sasaki (JPN) – 28.36
7. Xeniya Ignatova (KAZ) – 28.37
8. Ya-jia Chang (TPE) – 28.53

Wan Letian confirmed her energy right here, taking excessive seed of the ladies’s 50 again by 1 / 4 of a second, and delivering one in all solely two sub 28-second swims of the occasion’s prelims in 27.66.

The subsequent quickest performer was Kim Seungwon of Korea in 27.91, a couple of quarter of a second forward of the remainder of the occasion subject.

China additionally managed to get Wang Xueer up inside the highest three from the prelim heats in 28.15, the one different swimmer beneath 28.2.

Kayla Sanchez touched only a head of a pair of Japanese swimmers to complete 4th and punch her ticket to the finals in 28.24.

Men’s 50 Freestyle– Prelims

• World Record – 20.88, Cam McEvoy (AUS), 2026
• Asian Record – 21.64, Shuya Matsumoto (JPN), 2025
• Games Record – 21.72, Yuchan Ji (KOR), 2023
• 2023 Champion – 21.72, Yuchan Ji (KOR)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Youngbeom Kim (KOR) – 21.71 *New Asian Games Record
2. Shuya Matsumoto (JPN) – 22.03
3. Yuchan Ji (KOR) – 22.23
4. Emad Zaben (KSA) / Ian Yentou Ho (HKG) – 22.24
5. tie
6. Adam Marcel Hofstede (HKG) – 22.27
7. Hao Chen (CHN) – 22.29
8. Mikkel Lee (SGP) – 22.30

The first report to fall on day 2 got here within the males’s 50 free as Korea’s Youngbeom Kim notched a brand new Asian Games Record in 21.71, a brand new report by simply one-hundredth of a second.

The former report belonged to his Korean teammate Yuchan Ji from the 2023 Asian Games in 21.72, however Ji must accept a third place prelims placement after stopping the clock in 22.23.

Kim was the one swimmer within the last to the touch beneath 22-seconds, and he now sits simply 0.07 off of the Asian report of 21.64.

The subsequent quickest prelims swim went to Japan’s Shuya Matsumoto in 22.03, a couple of third of a second behind Kim.

Emad Zaben and Ian Yentou Ho completed deadlocked at 22.24, tying them for the 4th quickest time of the prelims, each incomes a spot within the finals.

Women’s 200 Freestyle – Prelims

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Li Jiaping (CHN) – 1:58.50
2. Siobhan Haughey (HKG) – 1:58.60
3. Gilaine Ma (HKG) – 2:00.57
4. Ruka Takezawa (JPN) – 2:01.29
5. Liu Yaxin (CHN) – 2:01.40
6. Nagisa Ikemoto (JPN) – 2:01.83
7. Hyunju Jo (KOR) – 2:02.45
8. Jinjutha Pholjamjumrus (THA) – 2:02.64

Li Jiaping and Siobhan Haughey clearly confirmed that they have been in a league of their very own within the prelims of the ladies’s 200 freestyle, delivering the one sub 2:00 instances, and touching solely a tenth of a second aside from each other.

Li completed only a hair forward within the penultimate warmth in 1:58.50, adopted by Haughey within the last warmth in 1:58.60.

The subsequent quickest perfromer was Haughey’s countrywoman Gilaine Ma in 2:00.57, nonetheless two second again of the clear two leaders. Nobody else within the prelims managed to dip beneath the two:01 mark. It took a sub 2:03 to make the finals, with Thailand’s Jinjutha Pholjamjumrus ending eighth in 2:02.64.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Prelims

• World Record – 56.88, Adam Peaty (GBR), 2019
• Asian Record – 57.69, Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2023
• Games Record – 57.76, Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2023
• 2023 Champion – 57.76, Qin Haiyang (CHN)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 59.38
2. Dongyeol Choi (KOR) – 59.53
3. Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 1:00.13
4. Denis Petrashov (KGZ) – 1:00.22
5. Sai Ting Adam Mak (HKG) – 1:00.25
6. Dong Zihao (CHN) – 1:00.28
7. Chi Kit Nocholas Cheing (HKG) – 1:00.46
8. Amir Motaee (IRI) – 1:00.66

It was the younger Shin Ohashi making a press release within the prelims of the lads’s 100 breast, ending as one in all solely two sub 1:00 performers within the heats in 59.38, incomes him prime seeded honors for the finals.

That different sub-1:00 swimmer was Korea’s Dongyeol Choi in 59.53, lower than two tenths behind Ohashi.

Reigning Asian Games Champion, and Asian and Asian Games report holder Qin Haiyang was not capable of sip beneath 1:00, however he did safe a robust third place end out of the prelims in 1:00.13, although the third by means of seventh place finishers have been separated by simply over 0.3 seconds.

Denis Petrashov and pre-meet prime seed Dong Zihao each secured their spots within the occasion last in 1:00.22 (4th) and 1:00.28 (sixth), respectively.

Women’s 200 IM– Prelims

• World Record – 2:05.70, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
• Asian Record –2:06.82, Yu Yiting (CHN), 2026
• Games Record – 2:07.75, Yu Yiting (CHN), 2023
• 2023 Champion – 2:07.75, Yu Yiting (CHN)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Yu Yiting (CHN) – 2:11.59
2. Yu Zidi (CHN) – 2:12.10
3. Mio Narita (JPN) – 2:13.44
4. Shiho Matsumoto (JPN) – 2:14.30
5. Xeniya Ignatova (KAZ) – 2:14.94
6. Songeun Lee (KOR) – 2:15.66
7. Xiandi Chua (PHI) – 2:16.24
8. Thi My Tien Vo (VIE) – 2:17.30

In the ultimate particular person occasion of the prelim session on day 2, it was China’s Yu Yiting and Yu Zidi comfortably taking the highest spots for the finals in 2:11.59 and a couple of:12.10, respectively.

Both swimmers the place out in 27.77 on the first flip, the one actual distinction between the 2 was within the center 100 meters, as Yu Yiting was 33.03/38.81 on the again and breast, whereas the 13-year-old Yu Zidi was 33.42/38.95, simply not sufficient to get forward of the veteran, and later settling for the 2nd place end.

Japan additionally can have a pair of representatives within the finals, as Mio Narita and Shiho Matsumoto completed third and 4th out of the heats in 2:13.44 and a couple of:14.30.

The remainder of the prelims have been a bit off of the tempo of the highest two seeds, with fifth place performer Xeniya Ignatova‘s 2:14.94 nonetheless sitting almost three and a half second behind Yu Yiting‘s main time.

Men’s 4×200 Freestyle Relay – Prelims

• World Record – 6:58.55, USA, 2009
• Asian Record – 7:00.91, China, 2025
• Games Record – 7:01.73, Korea, 2023
• 2023 Champion – 7:01.73, Korea

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. China – 7:11.70
2. Japan – 7:13.02
3. Korea – 7:14.35
4. Vietnam – 7:21.62
5. Malaysia – 7:22.05
6. Singapore – 7:22.73
7. Thailand – 7:23.97
8. Qatar – 7:24.10

There was a transparent prime three groups within the males’s 4×200 free relay, these being the anticipated three of China, Japan and Korea, all ending greater than seven seconds forward of the remainder of the groups within the prelim heats.

China’s contingent of Xu Haibo, Zhao Jiayue, Wang Haoyu, and Wang Shun, delivered a robust shut, largely partly to Wang’s 27.83/27.51 last 100 that put them forward of Japan and Malaysia within the closing lengths.

Japan’s foursome of Konosuke Yanagimoto , Tatsuya Murasa, Kazushi Imafuku, and Kazusa Kuroda. Among the most important lifts for the Japanese workforce was Imaduku’s last 100, splitting 27.94/27.27 to assist in giving the Japanese males the lead into the ultimate 100.

Korea’s workforce, which was made up of Minseop Kim, Jaehoon Yang, Junwoo Kim, and Hojoon Lee, have been comparatively uncontested of their warmth, main from the beginning, by means of to the ultimate contact.