(LEAD) (Asiad) Park Tae-hwan advances to 200ｍ freestyle final

(ATTN: ADDS Park's comments, final starting list in last 4 paras)
By Yoo Jee-ho and Kim Han-joo

INCHEON, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean swimming hero Park Tae-hwan qualified for the Asiad men's 200ｍ freestyle final Sunday, putting himself a step closer to a third straight gold in the continental competition.

Racing in the fourth lane in Heat 3, Park clocked at 1:50.29, tops in his heat and fourth best overall among 26 swimmers. The top eight swimmers from the heats will compete in the final, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Sunday.

The swimming races at this year's Asiad are held at a brand new arena bearing Park's name: the Munhak Park Tae-hwan Aquatics Center.

Park's chief rival, Sun Yang of China, won Heat 4 with the day's fastest time so far of 1:48.90.

Kosuke Hagino of Japan had the third-best time in the heats at 1:48.99, followed by another Japanese competitor, Takeshi Matsuda, at 1:50.20.

Sun is the Asian record holder with 1:44.47 set in 2013. Park owns the Asian Games record in the distance at 1:44.80. For 2014, Park has the second-fastest time in the world at 1:45.25, while Sun is ranked eighth at 1:46.04.

Based on his heat time, Park will race in the sixth lane in the final. Sun takes the fourth lane, with Hagino in the fifth and Matsuda in the third.

Park said after his heat that he will go after his personal record in the final and will stay focused on his own race.

"I hope to post a record time in the final," he said. "I am not just here to meet Sun Yang. The media are making too much out of (our rivalry)."

Park edged out Sun for two of his three gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad, in the 200ｍ and 400ｍ freestyle. Sun turned the table at the 2012 London Olympics, beating Park for gold in the 400ｍ freestyle.

jeeho@yna.co.kr

khj@yna.co.kr
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