Sun launches Asiad quest with ‘dream’ 200m crown
JAKARTA: Sun Yang climbed onto the lane rope, straddling a leg on either side, and held both arms up in triumph.
After two silver medals in the 200-metre freestyle at the Asian Games, China’s greatest swimmer finally won gold in the event.
Sun, a three-time Olympic gold medallist and nine-time world champion, is targeting victories in every freestyle event from the 200m to the 1,500m in the Jakarta Asian Games pool and kicked off his bid with a comfortable victory in one minute 45.43 seconds on the first night of finals yesterday.
It was an emotional victory for Sun, who has had to deal with some contentious periods following a three-month ban for a doping infringement in 2014 and a brush with the law following a traffic accident the previous year.
He celebrated by climbing up a tiered platform full of photographers to shake hands with his supporters in the stands at GBK Aquatic Center in Jakarta.
“I can say it’s like a dream come true, I’ve waited eight years for this gold medal and not many swimmers have had to wait that long,” he told reporters.
Katsuhiro Matsumoto of Japan took silver in 1:46.50 and Ji Xinjie held off Jordan’s Khader Baqlah for bronze.
Satomi Suzuki led a one-two Japan finish in the women’s 100m breaststroke, touching out compatriot Reona Aoki.
Suzuki won in a games record time of one minute, 6.40 seconds, with Aoki 0.05 back in second. China’s Shin Jinglin was third, 0.96 off Suzuki’s pace.
Japan’s Daiya Seto retained his 200m butterfly title. The reigning world bronze medallist touched in one minute, 54.53 seconds. His compatriot Nao Horomura made it a one-two for Japan, touching 1.05 behind, and China’s Li Zhuhao won bronze.
China claimed the first gold medal of the games in the morning session with Sun Peiyuan’s acrobatic victory in wushu’s changquan discipline.
INDONESIA BREAKTHROUGH
Defia Rosmaniar produced Indonesia’s first gold medal in their home tournament yesterday.
The 23-year-old taekwondo athlete scored 8.690 to pip Iran’s Marjan Salahshouri (8.470) to the gold in women’s individual poomsae event, triggering wild celebration at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Centre.
Rosmaniar’s victory earned Indonesia their first ever taekwondo gold in the Games, which they are hosting for the second time.