Eel-powered Japan whizz-kid, 11, dominates in historic Asian Games debut

TOKYO, September 24 — Teenage Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi shattered the men's 200m breaststroke world record, clinching gold at the Asian Games with a time of 2 minutes and 4.83 seconds. The 17-year-old reduced the previous record of 2:05.48, set by China's Qin Haiyang in July 2023, by more than half a second. Qin's record had remained unbroken since its establishment.

Ohashi had already claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke event earlier in the week, after a tied finish with China's Dong Zhihao. In an interview, the young athlete expressed his joy at breaking the world record, crediting his accomplishments to the support he received from others. He finished a whopping 3.84 seconds ahead of silver medalist Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan.

The Japanese teen took an early lead in the race and maintained it until the end, with no room for error. Ohashi revealed that his ultimate goal is to win gold at next year's world championships and subsequently at the Olympics held in Los Angeles in two years. "I don't want to be satisfied and I want to feel these emotions again," he stated.

Interestingly, the previous world record holder, Qin Haiyang, decided not to participate in the 200m breaststroke event during the Asian Games. The future of competitive swimming now rests on the shoulders of the talented Ohashi.