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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.<\/p>\n
His time was just 1.30 seconds off the world record held by Lukas Martens of Germany (3:39.98).<\/p>\n
Zhang also won the 1,500, 800 and 200 free and added gold in three relays.<\/p>\n
He celebrated at poolside by sitting on the lane divider and counting the golds with his fingers.<\/p>\n
China claims a record gold haul in the meet<\/p>\n
The Chinese won a record 30 gold medals \u2014 and 54 overall \u2014 during the six days of swimming at these Asian Games and surpassed the 28 gold medals they won three years ago in Hangzhou.<\/p>\n
Japan was right there in many races, winning seven gold and 37 medals overall \u2014 also better than their totals three years ago.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s 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\u2019s Qin Haiyang in 2023 at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Her time in the 200 IM was 2:06.10, just off the world mark held by Canadian Summer McIntosh (2:05.70).<\/p>\n
Yu\u2019s times are still a bit off McIntosh\u2019s standard in all three events. But she is a legitimate threat at next year\u2019s world championships and the 2028 Olympics where, of course, other swim powers like Australia and United States will be present.<\/p>\n
China won gold medals in five of the seven races on Friday, just as dominant as it was all week.<\/p>\n
Zhang Yufei won the women\u2019s 50 fly in 25.41 with teammate Wu Qingfeng taking silver. China\u2019s Qin Haiyang took the 50 breaststroke (26.68) with Ohashi \u2014 the record-setter on Thursday \u2014 settling for bronze.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 4×100 medley relay (3:54.55).<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s Kodai Nishiono won the men\u2019s 200 backstroke (1:56.42), and Taiwan\u2019s Wang Kuan-hung claimed the 200 fly (1:55.05).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n