Arkhangelskiy Just Misses Butterfly Medal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain's Mikhail Arkhangelskiy narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in the men's 100m butterfly final at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya yesterday.

The 21-year-old clocked 51.74 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, just 0.38 seconds behind Japan's Katsuhiro Matsumoto in the battle for bronze.

Arkhangelskiy made a flying start and led the field at the halfway mark, turning first in 23.66 before eventually settling for fourth.

Japan's Shoon Mitsunaga claimed gold in a Games-record 50.56, with China's Xu Fangtak silver in 50.73 and Matsumoto completing the podium in 51.36.

The Bahraini had earlier secured his place in the 10-man final by clocking 52.40 in the heats, the sixth-fastest time overall.

Elsewhere, Asma Le Falher placed 17th in the women's 100m butterfly heats in 1:06.62, while Amani Al Obaidli and Noor Taha finished 20th and 24th respectively in the women's 100m backstroke. Al Obaidli touched home in 1:06.52, with Taha recording 1:11.07.

The kingdom's mixed 4x100m medley relay quartet of Al Obaidli, Abdulla Jamal, Ahmed Heial and Le Falher were 10th overall in 4:09.54, leaving them listed as a reserve for the final.

Attention now turns to today's programme, beginning with Al Obaidli in the women's 50m freestyle heats at 4.06am, Bahrain time.

Heial competes in the men's 50m butterfly at 4.14am, before Arkhangelskiy returns to the pool in the following heat two minutes later. Robert Bonsall then contests the men's 800m freestyle at 4.15am.

Bahrain conclude their swimming campaign tomorrow, when Asma lines up in the women's 50m butterfly, Jamal contests the men's 50m breaststroke, Sana Le Falher takes on the women's 800m freestyle and Bonsall returns for the men's 400m freestyle.