dexinwin China's Xu Jiayu successfully defended his men's 50-meter backstroke title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, producing a record-breaking performance to claim his second swimming gold medal of the Games.
The 31-year-old clocked 24.04 seconds in the final, breaking the Asian Games record and completing a hat-trick of titles in the event. Fellow Chinese swimmer Wang Zicheng finished second in 24.49, while South Korea's Yoon Ji-hwan took bronze in 24.54. China therefore swept the gold and silver medals.
Xu Controls the Final
Xu started strongly and quickly established himself at the front of the field. He maintained his advantage throughout the 50-meter race before touching the wall in 24.04 seconds.
His winning time erased the previous Asian Games record of 24.28 seconds, set by Japan's Junya Koga at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Xu's latest performance therefore added another record to his growing list of achievements in Asian competition.
Wang Zicheng also produced an impressive swim, finishing in 24.49 seconds to take silver. Yoon completed the podium in 24.54.
The result gave Xu his third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in the men's 50-meter backstroke, following his victories at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, held in 2023.
Second Gold in Nagoya
The victory came just one day after Xu had won the men's 100-meter backstroke.
He clocked 51.98 seconds in that final, also breaking the Asian Games record and successfully defending his title. That victory gave him a third consecutive Asian Games gold in the 100-meter event as well.
With his latest success in the 50-meter race, Xu has now completed a remarkable double three-peat in the two backstroke events. His 50-meter victory was also his 13th Asian Games gold medal, according to Chinese media reports.
Experience Still Paying Off
Xu is competing at his fourth Asian Games. Over the course of his career, he has established himself as one of China's leading backstroke specialists and has remained a major figure in the national swimming team despite the emergence of a new generation of competitors.
After his latest victory, Xu said his goal was to prove that he could continue moving forward in the sport he loves. His performance in Nagoya provided a strong response, as he not only defended his title but also improved the Asian Games record.
The result also underlined the depth of China's men's backstroke team. With Wang taking silver behind Xu, Chinese swimmers occupied the top two positions on the podium.
As the swimming competition continues at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Xu will have further opportunities to contribute to China's medal campaign. For now, his back-to-back victories have made him one of the standout performers of the opening days of the Games.
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