Japan teenager Ohashi smashes 200m breaststroke world record

TOKYO - Japanese teenager Shin Ohashi shattered the men's 200m breaststroke world record at the Asian Games on Thursday, clocking in at 2 minutes 4.83 seconds. The 17-year-old eclipsed the previous record of 2:05.48 set by China's Qin Haiyang, which had remained untouched since July 2023. Qin's record had been under threat, but Ohashi dashed those hopes with a blistering performance.

Ohashi's victory came after he had already claimed gold in the 100m breaststroke this week in Tokyo, sharing the title with China's Dong Zhihao in a dead heat. His target all along had been to break the world record, and he achieved that with a smile on his face. "A lot happened before this competition, but a lot of people helped me get to this point and I am very grateful to them," Ohashi expressed.

The Japanese teen outpaced silver medallist Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan by 3.84 seconds. His dominant start proved decisive, and the race thereafter was a sprint against the clock. Ohashi's achievement will make him the man to watch at the Los Angeles Olympics in two years' time. His immediate goal, however, is to win gold at the upcoming world championships and then go on to secure a gold medal at the Olympics.

It's worth noting that previous world record holder Qin Haiyang did not participate in the 200m breaststroke event at this year's Asian Games.