Japanese teen sets world record weeks after COVID-19 recovery

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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.

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

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Ohashi admitted that contracting COVID-19 caused some mental anxiety during his preparations, but said the recovery period also gave his body a chance to properly rest.

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“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.”

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The world-record performance was Ohashi’s second gold medal of the Games. Earlier in the competition, he shared the 100m breaststroke title with China’s Dong Zhihao.

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Ohashi has been regarded as one of swimming’s brightest young talents.

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He won five gold medals at the World Junior Championships last year, while French Olympic champion Léon Marchand previously described the Japanese youngster as a “scary” prospect.

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His record-breaking performance adds another chapter to an impressive Asian Games campaign and establishes Ohashi as a major name to watch in international swimming.

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

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