Japan's Kojima sounds Marchand warning with Asian Games gold
TOKYO: Japan’s 17-year-old Yumeki Kojima said he was determined to cut the gap on French superstar Leon Marchand before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after winning Asian Games gold on Tuesday.
Tokyo - Japanese swimmer Yumeki Kojima, just 17 years old, claimed gold in the 400m individual medley at the Asian Games, edging out countryman Tomoyuki Matsushita by 2.62 seconds. Kojima, aiming to close the gap on French superstar Leon Marchand, won the race in a time of 4:07.02, short of Marchand's world record of 4:02.50. Kojima, watching the race, expressed his determination to challenge the Frenchman, stating, "I want to keep getting closer to him, even if it's little by little, and eventually surpass him."
Matsushita, who won the 200m IM the day before, said he would learn from his loss to Kojima, using it as motivation to improve his training. Marchand, impressed by Kojima's performance, admitted that Japanese swimmers were his biggest rivals for gold in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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