NAGOYA: Chinese freestyler Zhang Zhanshuo completed his sweep of seven gold medals at the Asian Games, taking the 400-meter freestyle in 3 minutes, 41.28 seconds on Friday on the final day of swimming events.
His time was just 1.30 seconds off the world record held by Lukas Martens of Germany (3:39.98).
Zhang also won the 1,500, 800 and 200 free and added gold in three relays.
He celebrated at poolside by sitting on the lane divider and counting the golds with his fingers.
China claims a record gold haul in the meet
The Chinese won a record 30 gold medals — and 54 overall — during the six days of swimming at these Asian Games and surpassed the 28 gold medals they won three years ago in Hangzhou.
Japan was right there in many races, winning seven gold and 37 medals overall — also better than their totals three years ago.
Japan’s 17-year-old Shin Ohashi set the only world record of the games, taking the 200-meter breaststroke on Thursday in 2:04.83. Ohashi obliterated the old mark of 2:05.48 set by China’s Qin Haiyang in 2023 at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
China’s 13-year-old Yu Zidi was the most talked about swimmer heading into the Asian Games. She did not disappoint, winning the 200 butterfly, and the 200 and 400 individual medleys.
Her time in the 200 IM was 2:06.10, just off the world mark held by Canadian Summer McIntosh (2:05.70).
Yu’s times are still a bit off McIntosh’s standard in all three events. But she is a legitimate threat at next year’s world championships and the 2028 Olympics where, of course, other swim powers like Australia and United States will be present.
China won gold medals in five of the seven races on Friday, just as dominant as it was all week.
Zhang Yufei won the women’s 50 fly in 25.41 with teammate Wu Qingfeng taking silver. China’s Qin Haiyang took the 50 breaststroke (26.68) with Ohashi — the record-setter on Thursday — settling for bronze.
Other Chinese winners were Li Bingjie in the 800 free (8:24.02), Zhang Zhanshuo in the 400 free (3:41.28), and the women’s 4×100 medley relay (3:54.55).
Japan’s Kodai Nishiono won the men’s 200 backstroke (1:56.42), and Taiwan’s Wang Kuan-hung claimed the 200 fly (1:55.05).
