2026 ASIAN GAMES
- September 20th – September 25th (pool swimming)
- Prelims at 10am local (9pm previous night ET)/Finals at 5pm local (4am ET)
- Tokyo Aquatics Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Live Results
- Recaps
After a thrilling night of drama yesterday, we’re about to see another Asian Games finals session unfold from the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
Siobhan Haughey enters the evening as the top-seeded athlete in the women’s 100m free, while the men’s 400m IM will see fellow Olympic medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita of Japan try to get on top of the podium.
The men’s 1500m free is on the agenda as well, which means we’ll see 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo follow up his massive 4x200m free anchor of 1:42.92 from winning gold in stellar fashion.
WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record – 51.68, Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 2026
- World Junior Record – 52.49, Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 2022
- Asian Record – 52.02, Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 2023
- Games Record – 52.17, Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 2023
- 2023 Champion – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 52.17
GOLD – Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 52.45
SILVER – Yu Yiting (CHN), 53.21
BRONZE – Cheng Yujie (CHN), 53.47
This women’s 100m freestyle was all about Olympic multi-medalist Siobhan Haughey, with the Hong Kong superstar ripping a big-time performance of 52.45.
The 28-year-old former University of Michigan Wolverine led wire-to-wire, opening in 25.25 and bringing it home in 27.20 to get the job done decisively in the sole time of the field under the 53-second barrier. This marks Haughey’s second consecutive Asian Games title in this event and represents the versatile ace’s 2nd gold after having won the women’s 200m free yesterday.
A pair of Chinese athletes swept the minor medals, with last night’s 200 IM runner-up Yu Yiting of China producing a time of 53.21, a new personal best. It overtook the 53.43 she established at the Chinese Nationals in June. Yu is now China’s 4th-fastest woman in history in this sprint.
Cheng Yujie put up 53.47 for the bronze, just off her PB of 53.26 from three years ago.
The Philippines’ Kayla Sanchez came near her own national record of 53.46, posting a time of 53.65 to fall just short of the bronze medal.
MEN’S 400 IM – FINAL
- World Record – 4:02.50, Leon Marchand (FRA), 2023
- World Junior Record –
4:08.69, Yumeki Kojima (JPN), 2026 - Asian Record – 4:05.83, Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 2026
- Games Record –
4:07.75, Kosuke Hagino (JPN), 2014 - 2023 Champion – Tomoru Honda (JPN), 4:11.40
GOLD – Yumeki Kojima (JPN), 4:07.02 *World Junior Record, Asian Games Record*
SILVER – Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 4:09.64
BRONZE – Wang Shun (CHN), 4:14.59
Japan dominated the men’s 400m IM; however, the winner wasn’t Olympic silver medalist and current world No. 1, Tomoyuki Matsushita.
Instead, 17-year-old World Junior Record holder Yumeki Kojima stole the spotlight, crushing a new lifetime best and WJR of 4:07.02.
The teen trailed Matsushita after the first two legs but made up major ground on the breaststroke to bring the pair even heading into freestyle.
Matsushita entered this competition with a massive PB and Asian Record of 4:05.83 but settled for runner-up status well over two seconds behind (4:09.64) the emerging monster that is Kojima. Last night Matsushita anchored the Japanese men’s 4x200m free relay, so perhaps that last effort to try to catch Zhang in the race took its toll on the swimmer this evening.
Kojima’s outing, which included an eye-popping final 50m of 26.85, erased the former WJR of 4:08.69 he registered at the Pan Pacific Championshps. He also deleted Japanese Olympic icon Kosuke Hagino‘s former Asian Games standard of 4:07.75 put on the books over a decade ago. Look for a separate post detailing Kojima’s remarkable performance.
Olympic champion Wang Shun of China turned in a time of 4:14.59, good enough to give his nation a bronze.
This is the same podium as we saw from the 200m IM on day one, albeit in a different order. In that shorter event, it was Matsushita who claimed gold (1:55.30), with Kojima snagging silver in a World Junior Record of 1:55.36. Wang earned the bronze in 1:57.14.
WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record – 2:03.14, Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2023
- World Junior Record – 2:03.35, Regan Smith (USA), 2019
- Asian Record –
2:06.46, Zhao Jing (CHN), 2010 - Games Record –
2:06.46, Zhao Jing (CHN), 2010 - 2023 Champion – Peng Xuwei (CHN), 2:07.28
GOLD – Peng Xuwei (CHN), 2:05.77 *Asian Record, Asian Games Record*
SILVER – Sun Mingxia (CHN), 2:08.15
BRONZE – Rio Shirai (JPN), 2:08.70
Our first Asian continental Record of the evening bit the dust, and it fell in a big way, as 23-year-old Peng Xuwei unleashed a huge new lifetime best of 2:05.77 to take the women’s 200m backstroke.
Peng was the dominant swimmer from start to finish, beating the pack by well over two seconds, handily overtaking the longstanding Asian Record of 2:06.46 China’s Zhao Jing established way back in 2010. That means Peng is the first-ever Asian woman to delve under the 2:06 barrier in the race.
Teammate Sun Mingxia made it a 1-2 finish for the nation, with Japan’s Rio Shirai rounding out the podium in 2:08.70.
Entering this competition, Peng’s lifetime best in this 2back rested at the 2:06.54 she clocked at the 2025 Chinese Spring Nationals, so she wiped that out by nearly a second with tonight’s stellar performance. She is now the 14th-swiftest performer in history.
Peng is the reigning Asian Games gold medalist, having won the title at the 2023 edition of this competition. That same year she claimed bronze at the World Championships. Before that, she earned bronze in the event in 2018.
Look for a separate post detailing this significant achievement.
MEN’S 1500 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record – 14:26.79, Johannes Liebmann (GER), 2026
- World Junior Record – 14:41.22, Kuzey Tuncelli (TUR), 2024
- Asian Record – 14:31.02, Sun Yang (CHN), 2012
- Games Record – 14:35.43, Sun Yang (CHN), 2010
- 2023 Champion – Fei Liwei (CHN), 14:55.47
GOLD – Zhang Zhanshuo (CHN), 14:42.42
SILVER – Kaito Tabuchi (JPN), 14:45.99
BRONZE – Kazushi Imafuku (JPN), 14:54.37
The men’s 1500m freestyle final saw Japan’s Kaito Tabuchi jump out in front to try to establish a large enough lead to potentially hold off China’s dynamo Zhang Zhanshuo, but his plan unraveled just about halfway through the race.
That’s when Zhang, the 19-year-old who crushed the fastest 200m free split of all time last night 1:42.92, made his move and never looked back. The 5-time World Junior Championships medalist ultimately touched in 14:42.42 for a massive new lifetime best.
Zhang’s former PB entering this meet rested at the 14:51.93 he logged this past March. He obliterated that with tonight’s performance to now rank as China’s #2 performer. Only Olympic champion Sun Yang has been faster, owning the national and Asian record of 14:31.02 from the 2012 Olympic Games.
Tabuchi held on for runner-up status, posting a time of 14:45.99, just a hair off his PB of 14:45.57 he produced this past March.
Kazushi Imafuku, the Pan Pacific Championships bronze medalist from Japan, earned 3rd place tonight in 14:54.37. His Pan Pacs time of 14:42.59 notched a new Japanese national record.
Of note, the 2023 champion Fei Liwei of China found himself off the podium, settling for 6th in 15:03.55.
Not to be missed was 17-year-old Rami Alrahmouni of Saudi Arabia. The teen dipped beneath the 15:00 threshold for his first time ever, scoring a time of 14:55.32 as the 4th-place finisher. He missed giving his nation its first-ever Asian Games medal by less than a second.
WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record – 3:54.18, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
- World Junior Record – 3:56.08, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2023
- Asian Record – 3:58.21, Li Bingjie (CHN), 2025
- Games Record – 4:01.96, Li Bingjie (CHN), 2023
- 2023 Champion – Li Bingjie (CHN), 4:01.96
GOLD – Li Bingjie (CHN), 4:02.71
SILVER – Ching Hwee Gan (SGP), 4:06.81
BRONZE – Ichika Kajimoto (JPN), 4:07.45
The women’s 400m freestyle podium was identical to the 1500m free, which means China’s Li Bingjie bagged another gold medal tonight.
24-year-old Li was the clear winner in the race, turning in a time of 4:02.71 to repeat as champion from three years ago. There in Hangzhou, the Olympic medalist swept the 400m/800m/1500m and she is on her way to doing the same here in Tokyo.
Singapore’s 23-year-old Ching Hwee Gan continued her successful meet, capturing her 2nd silver and 2nd national record. The former Indiana University Hoosier stopped the clock at 4:06.81, dropping nearly three seconds off her former Singaporean standard of 4:09.34 from this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Ichika Kajimoto, Japan’s World Championships gold medalist in open water, rounded out the podium in 4:07.45.
MEN’S 4×100 MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL
- World Record – 3:26.78, USA 2021
- World Junior Record – 3:33.19, Russia, 2019
- Asian Record – 3:27.01, China, 2023
- Games Record – 3:27.01, China, 2023
- 2023 Champion – China, 3:27.01
GOLD – China, 3:27.89
SILVER – Japan, 3:28.70
BRONZE – Korea, 3:31.97
China’s 100m backstroke champion here, Xu Jiayu, was the primary difference-maker in this men’s 4x100m medley relay, as the 31-year-old veteran delivered a backstroke lead-off of 52.13, well over a second better than the next-closest competitor.
Dong Zhihao, the men’s 100m breaststroke co-gold medalist, carried the speed with a solid split of 57.94, with Xu Fang hitting 50.52 on the fly leg. Pan Zhanle, the reigning 100m freestyle World Record holder and champion in the event here, sealed the deal with a final 100m of 47.30 to ultimately post a time of 3:27.89.
Japan tried to make up some ground and nearly got there, falling less than a second behind but still registering a new national record of 3:28.70.
Hidekazu Takehara (53.71), Shin Ohashi (57.64), Shoon Mitsunaga (49.74) and Tatsuya Murasa (47.61) did their best to catch the leaders after trailing in backstroke, with 17-year-old Shin and national record holder Shoon putting up stellar splits on breast and fly.
Their time of 3:38.70 shaved more than a second off their former national record of 3:29.91 from the 2020 Olympic Games.
Korea, too, notched a new national record en route to bronze, repeating their place from last night’s men’s 4x200m free relay.
Lee Juho (53.92), Choi Dongyeol (58.98), Yang Jaehoon (51.58) and Kim Youngbeom (47.49) collectively clocked an outing of 3:31.97 to erase their former NR of 3:32.05.
Youngbeom took Hwang Sunwoo‘s anchor spot on the foursome after having won the 50m freestyle gold in yesterday’s action.
