TOKYO, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Six days of racing, a world record, a historic seven-gold haul and a wave of teenage talents made swimming one of the defining stories of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
China topped the swimming medal table with a record 30 gold medals and 54 medals overall, surpassing the 28 golds it won in Hangzhou three years ago. Japan finished with seven golds and 37 medals.
The headline achievement came from 19-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo, who completed a remarkable campaign by winning the men's 400m freestyle on Friday in an Asian Games record time of three minutes 41.28 seconds.
Zhang became the first swimmer in Asian Games history to win seven titles at a single edition, surpassing the previous mark of six shared by Japan's Rikako Ikee and China's Zhang Yufei. His haul included four individual freestyle titles, from the 200m to the 1,500m, as well as three relay golds.
He also helped China set Asian records in the men's 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.
"I feel much calmer than I had imagined," Zhang said after his seventh title. "Of course, I'm very happy to win these seven gold medals, and I will turn them into greater motivation going forward."
His performance was part of a broader change of the guard in Chinese swimming.
The most striking example was 13-year-old Yu Zidi, who made a spectacular Asian Games debut with three gold medals. She set an Asian record of 2:06.10 in the women's 200m individual medley, the second-fastest time in history behind only Summer McIntosh's world record of 2:05.70. Yu also set Games records in the 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley.
"I don't see myself as a genius. What I've achieved has come from putting in the work, day after day," Yu said.
Meanwhile, established names including Qin Haiyang, Xu Jiayu, Pan Zhanle, Li Bingjie and Zhang Yufei continued to deliver gold medals.
Li, who won five golds at the Games, including the women's 400m and 800m freestyle, described the campaign as a valuable test after a difficult period.
"I think my potential lies in my ability to finish strongly," she said, adding that she had gradually found a better training approach and mindset after a period of trial and error.
Zhang Yufei, meanwhile, successfully defended her women's 50m butterfly title in 25.41 seconds. The victory prompted an emotional reaction from the veteran, who wiped away tears on the podium.
"Winning has become quite common for me, so now I'm more focused on the times and on pushing myself to achieve better results," Zhang said.
The six-day competition also produced one of the most spectacular swims in recent Asian Games history.
On Thursday, 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi clocked 2:04.83 to win the men's 200m breaststroke, becoming the first man to break the 2:05 barrier and lowering the world record previously held by China's Qin Haiyang.
He said he had initially targeted a time in the 2:03.00 range, but after producing 2:04.83, he was already looking further ahead. His next target is the 2027 World Championships, where he hopes to win gold before turning his attention to the Olympics.
"I hope I can swim 2:02.00, or even 2:01.00 in the future," he said, who also shared gold with China's Dong Zhihao in the 100m breaststroke and collected silver in two medley relays.
Qin, who had set the previous world record at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, said Ohashi's breakthrough reflected the growing competitiveness of the event.
"The event is becoming increasingly competitive, with a growing diversity of techniques and styles among the world's top swimmers," Qin said.
Ohashi's world record and Zhang's seven-gold feat highlighted a meet in which established records repeatedly came under threat. Chinese swimmers produced Asian or Games records across individual and relay events, while Japan's Yumeki Kojima, also 17, set two world junior records and won the men's 400m individual medley.
Beyond the major swimming powers, Aichi-Nagoya also brought historic firsts for several teams.
Bahrain's Mikhail Arkhangelskiy won the men's 50m butterfly in 22.91 seconds, tying the Asian record and giving Bahrain its first-ever Asian Games swimming medal.
"I'm really proud and happy that Bahrain gave me the chance," Arkhangelskiy said. He added that he will now turn his attention to the World Championships in Budapest, hoping to continue improving.
Chinese Taipei secured its first men's swimming gold at the Asian Games when Wang Kuan-hung won the men's 200m butterfly in 1:55.05. The result improved on his silver at the Hangzhou Games.
Kyrgyzstan also celebrated a first, with Denis Petrashov taking silver in the men's 200m breaststroke, marking the country's first-ever swimming medal at an Asian Games.
For China, the six-day campaign was about both achievement and transition. As Zhang Zhanshuo put it after his historic week, the Asian Games is not his ultimate goal. "I still need to settle down and face the gaps between myself and the world's best."
The world record is already in his sights. "Everything is possible. I will stay humble and keep pushing forward," he said. "I'm still aiming for the Olympics and competing with the best. I will turn these gold medals into greater motivation." ■
