GUANGZHOU - Chinese swimmer Xie Zhi won the men's 50-meter backstroke at the Guangzhou Asian Games here on Sunday.

Xie, 23, outpaced Japanese Ryo Tateishi to lift the title. He touched the wall in 27.80 seconds, while Tateishi took the silver in 27.86.

Chinese Li Xiayan finished third in 27.89.

Four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima only managed a fourth finish by clocking 28.15.

"It is my first international competition," said Xie. "I'm very exited to compete with top swimmers like Kitajima. I think the gold medal will be a good start for me."

"My goal was to swim under 28 seconds, and I did it," he added.

"I swam better and better during the race," said Tateishi. "What was going on in my mind was to perform my best. I didn't pay any attention to other swimmers."