INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA: South Korea’s swimming hero Park Tae-hwan will stick to freestyle races at the Asian Games as the local hero prepares for three explosive clashes with China’s Olympic champion Sun Yang.
Park, who lost his 2008 Olympic 400 metres title to Sun in London two years ago, had flirted with the notion of individual medleys to his schedule but will focus instead on the 100, 200, 400 and 1,500-metre freestyle events at the Incheon aquatic arena named after him.
The towering Sun, who became the first Chinese man to capture Olympic swimming gold by doing the 400 and 1,500-metre freestyle double, goes in the 200, 400 and the “iron man” 1,500 event in which he holds the world record.
Opting out of the medleys will keep Park fresher for his battles with the confident Sun, and also avoids the potential embarrassment of losing to Japan’s Kosuke Hagino in front of an expectant home crowd.
Hagino beat double world champion Park twice at the recent Pan Pacific meeting in Gold Coast and will compete in six events in Incheon — the 200 and 400-metre free, 100 and 200 backstroke as well as 200 and 400 medley, in which he will be hot favourite.
Park won triple freestyle gold at the last two Asian Games, in Doha and Guangzhou, but Sun’s return from suspension adds extra spice to their races, particularly after the efforts of the Chinese to stir up their rivalry in the build-up to the competition.
Sun has appeared in a TV commercial in China prodding fun at Park and suggesting the loser treat the winner to a slap-up meal.
China’s Ye Shiwen, who completed the women’s individual medley double at the London Olympics, will look to put last year’s world championship disappointment behind her when she steps to the blocks in her signature races in Incheon, in addition to relay duties.
