Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi has broken the men’s 200m breaststroke world record at the Asian Games, only weeks after recovering from COVID-19.
The 17-year-old claimed gold in 2:04.83 on Thursday, surpassing the previous mark of 2:05.48 set by China’s Qin Haiyang at the 2023 World Championships, according to BBC Sport.
Ohashi said his illness caused some mental uncertainty during his preparation, although the recovery period allowed him to get valuable physical 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 record marked Ohashi’s second gold medal at the Games. He had earlier shared the 100m breaststroke title with China’s Dong Zhihao.
The Japanese swimmer is widely considered one of the sport’s most promising young talents.
Ohashi collected five gold medals at last year’s World Junior Championships, while French Olympic champion Léon Marchand has previously called him a “scary” prospect.
His latest feat further underlines his emergence on the international swimming scene.
Meanwhile, China’s 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo secured his sixth gold medal after China triumphed in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
