Japan’s Ohashi smashes 200m breaststroke world record for Asian Games gold

On Thursday, Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi, just 17 years old, shattered the men’s 200m breaststroke world record during the Asian Games in Nagoya. Ohashi completed the race in a blistering 2:04.83, surpassing the previous record set by China’s Qin Haiyang at 2:05.48 in the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka. The young athlete celebrated his victory in front of a roaring home crowd, expressing his joy in achieving the world record goal.

Ohashi credited his fans, family, and supporters for their encouragement throughout his journey. He revealed his next ambition is to win the gold medal at the upcoming world championships. Kazakhstan's Denis Petrashov secured the silver medal, finishing 3.84 seconds behind Ohashi, while South Korean Cho Sung Jae took the bronze with a time of 2:08.76.

Cho expressed surprise at Ohashi's performance, noting he never anticipated the world record would be set during the race. Earlier, French Olympic champion Leon Marchand had described Ohashi as a formidable threat, impressed by his age, coaching, and support team.