Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi has set a new world record in the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Asian Games. This achievement comes just weeks after he recovered from COVID-19.
According to BBC Sport, the 17-year-old swam to gold with a time of 2:04.83. He broke the previous record of 2:05.48 held by China’s Qin Haiyang from the 2023 World Championships.
Ohashi shared that getting COVID-19 brought some mental stress during his training. But he also felt the recovery time helped his body rest well.
“Regarding Covid, after all, there was a part where it created a little anxiety for me mentally,” Ohashi said after winning. “But, conversely, physically I think it was good that I was able to properly rest my body as a period of recovery.”
This world record is Ohashi’s second gold medal at these Games. Earlier, he won the 100m breaststroke title, sharing it with China’s Dong Zhihao.
Ohashi is seen as one of the brightest young talents in swimming. He won five gold medals at last year's World Junior Championships.
French Olympic champion Léon Marchand has called Ohashi a “scary” prospect in the sport. His record-breaking swim adds to his impressive performance at the Asian Games.
Ohashi is now a big name to watch in international swimming.
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