Yasunari Hirai Wins His First Asian Championship
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Yasunari Hirai and Yumi Kida have both had long, successful careers.
They competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic 10K Marathon Swims and has won numerous Japanese domestic titles and various international races between 1 mile and 10 km, but they both won their first Asian Open Water Swimming Championship today in the 5 km race held in Malaysia.
“I am very happy to win the 5 km race at the Asian Championships; it is very important to my future to have this title of an Asian champion, wrote Hirai after the race.”
Japan swept 1-2 on both the men’s and women’s side with Yohsuke Miyamoto finishing 10 seconds behind Hirai and Yuki Kida and Yukimi Noriyama winning gold and silver for Japan.
Top 15 Men’s Results:
1. Yasunari Hirai (Japan) 1:00:28.95
2. Yohsuke Miyamoto (Japan) 1:00:38.26
3. Vitaliy Khudykov (Kazakhstan) 1:00:49.35
4. Taiki Nonaka (Japan) 1:01:47.06
5. Welson Sim (Malaysia) 1:02:46.88
6. Cho Cheng-Chi (Chinese Taipei) 1:02:58.76
7. Lev Cherepanov (Kazakhstan) 1:03:59.36
8. Keessary (Kazakhstan) 1:04:53.61
9. Zhong Qing Eramus (Singapore) 1:05:48.12
10. Aiman Talib Naseeb Al (Oman) 1:05:50.10
11. Khalid Mohammed (Oman) 1:05:50.10
12. Omkumar (India) 1:08:24.05
13. Tse Tsz Fung (Hong Kong) 1:09:33.10
14. Kwan Ho Yin (Hong Kong) 1:09:41.13
15. Nachat Natemantesuk (Thailand) 1:09:59.82
Top 10 Women’s Results:
1. Yumi Kida (Japan) 1:03:40.60
2. Yukimi Moriyama (Japan) 1:03:47.31
3. Heidi Gan (Malaysia) 1:05:03.58
4. Xeniya Romanchuk (Kazakhstan) 1:08:22.80
5. Lok Hoi Man (Hong Kong) 1:09:52.98
6. Chantal Liew Li Shan (Singapore) 1:11:22.02
7. Nip Tsz Yin (Hong Kong) 1:11:38.58
8. Nina Rakhimova (Kazakhstan) 1:12:23.16
9. Maria Fedotova (Kazakstan) 1:12:26.35
10. Fiona Chan On-Yi (Hong Kong) 1:12:36.10
11. Neelanuc (Thailand) 1:14:54.18
12. China Khar Yi (Singapore) 1:14:58.81
13. Pattarakan Sriyong (Singapore) 1:17:58.18
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Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
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