Qi Hui wins second swimming gold
Alastair Himmer
World record holder Qi Hui was pushed all the way by China teammate Luo Xuejuan but prevailed in a thrilling finish to win her second gold medal of the Asian Games swimming competition on Thursday.
China shared the spoils with Japan as both teams won three finals apiece, leaving the Chinese with a 13-9 lead over their fierce rivals in the swimming gold medal standings with just two days remaining at Pusan's Sajik Pool.
Qi, who took silver behind world champion Luo in the 100 breaststroke earlier this week and gold in the women's 200 metres Individual medley final, trailed for three quarters of the 200 metres breaststroke final as Luo recorded three splits inside world record pace.
But Luo paid for going out too quickly and Qi surged past her over the final 30 metres to touch in two minutes, 24.01 seconds, 1:02 seconds outside the world mark she set in China last year.
Luo clocked 2:24.67 with Fumiko Kawanabe of Japan almost six seconds off the pace.
"I thought about going for the world record but I was too tired after the morning heats to push that little bit extra in the last 50. I still want that world record though," said Qi, who also won gold in the 200 individual medley on day two.
Japan's Kosuke Kitajima set the only world record of the meet so far on Wednesday when he clocked 2:09.97 to win gold in the men's 200 breaststroke.
China's Chen Zuo also had to come from behind as he won the men's 100 freestyle in 50.76 to prevent countryman Liu Yu from completing a gold medal double.
Liu, who won the 200 freestyle earlier in the week, settled for silver this time in 50.83. At that point, the Chinese suddenly found themselves up 12-6 in the gold medal standings.
SHOCK DEFEAT
But defending champion Takashi Yamamoto bounced back after his shock defeat by Chinese schoolboy Wu Peng in the 200 butterfly on Tuesday by winning gold in the 100 as the Japanese battled to stay in contention.
Yamamoto led from start to finish to clock a new Games record of 52.59, just 0.04 outside his own Asian record, with teammate Kohei Kawamoto runner-up in 53.22.
"I lost in the 200, so I was extra determined to avoid a repeat in the 100. We knew China would be a threat at the Asian Games but we know we have to produce something special in the last few days," said Yamamoto.
Japan's Sachiko Yamada won gold in the women's 400 metres freestyle in a new Games record of 4:07.23 more than five seconds quicker than Chen Hua of China (4:12.24), gaining revenge after finishing behind Chen at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
Atsushi Nishikori then won a third individual gold for Japan in the men's 100 metres backstroke, clocking 55.17 to edge out Lim Keng Liat of Malaysia by 0.01 of a second.
But China took gold in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay in the last race of the evening session in a Games record 3:40.95 to secure a 3-3 split of gold medals on day four of the swimming.
