JAPANESE TEEN SETS WORLD RECORD WEEKS AFTER COVID-19 RECOVERY

Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi has set a new world record in the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Asian Games, just weeks after recovering from COVID-19.

The 17-year-old won gold in a time of 2:04.83, breaking the previous world record of 2:05.48 set by China’s Qin Haiyang at the 2023 World Championships, BBC Sport reported on Thursday.

Ohashi said his COVID-19 infection caused some mental anxiety during his preparations for the competition. However, he also believes 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 record-breaking swim earned Ohashi his second gold medal of the Games.

Earlier in the competition, he shared the men’s 100m breaststroke gold medal with China’s Dong Zhihao.

Ohashi has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in international swimming.

He won five gold medals at the World Junior Championships last year, highlighting his potential at the junior level.

French Olympic champion Léon Marchand had previously described the Japanese swimmer as a “scary” prospect.

His latest world-record performance further underlined his growing reputation and marked another outstanding achievement at the Asian Games.

Meanwhile, China’s 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo claimed his sixth gold medal of the Games as China won the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.