Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi has broken the men’s 200m breaststroke world record at the Asian Games, just weeks after recovering from COVID-19.
The 17-year-old produced a stunning performance to win gold in 2:04.83, beating the previous world record of 2:05.48 set by China’s Qin Haiyang at the 2023 World Championships.
Ohashi revealed that contracting COVID-19 had caused some mental anxiety during his preparations, but he also felt that the recovery period allowed his body to get much-needed rest.
“Regarding Covid, after all, there was a part where it created a little anxiety for me mentally,” Ohashi said after his victory. “But, conversely, physically I think it was good that I was able to properly rest my body as a period of recovery.”
The world-record swim earned Ohashi his second gold medal of the Games. Earlier in the competition, he shared the 100m breaststroke title with China’s Dong Zhihao.
Ohashi is widely regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in swimming.
He claimed five gold medals at last year’s World Junior Championships, while French Olympic champion Léon Marchand had previously described the Japanese teenager as a “scary” prospect.
His record-breaking display adds another highlight to an already impressive Asian Games campaign and further establishes Ohashi as a swimmer to watch closely on the international stage.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Chinese swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo secured his sixth gold medal of the Games as China triumphed in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
