Chinese teen Zhang Zhanshuo makes history with seven Asian Games gold medals
SCMP · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Zhang Zhanshuo, a 19-year-old Chinese swimmer, etched his name into Asian Games history on Friday when he became the first swimmer ever to win seven gold medals at a single edition of the Games. The towering athlete, who stands 198cm (6ft 6in) tall, sealed his remarkable achievement by winning the 400m freestyle final at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in a Games-record time of 3 minutes 41.28 seconds .
After touching the wall well ahead of Japan's Kazushi Imafuku in second place, Zhang sat on the lane divider and slowly counted out all seven gold medals with his fingers to mark the momentous occasion . His historic haul includes individual titles in the 200m, 400m, and 1500m freestyle events, as well as three relay victories .
Zhang eclipsed the previous record of six golds held jointly by China's Zhang Yufei at the Hangzhou 2022 Games and Japan's Rikako Ikee at the Jakarta 2018 edition . Only North Korean shooter So Gin-man, who claimed seven golds and a silver at the New Delhi Games in 1982, has a superior medal total at a single Asian Games .
Key Points
- Zhang Zhanshuo, 19, won the 400m freestyle in 3:41.28 on Friday to claim his seventh gold, marking the achievement by counting on his fingers while sitting on the lane divider
- He won three individual freestyle titles (200m, 400m, 1500m) plus three relay golds, surpassing the six-gold records set by Zhang Yufei (2022) and Rikako Ikee (2018)
- China dominated the swimming programme with 30 gold medals out of 41 events, while chief rival Japan won seven golds and 37 medals overall
- China's 13-year-old Yu Zidi emerged as another prodigy, winning three individual golds in Games-record times, while Japan's 17-year-old Shin Ohashi set a world record in the men's 200m breaststroke
- Qin Haiyang, 27, retained his 50m breaststroke crown in a showdown with Ohashi, who took bronze
Why It Matters
Zhang's emergence signals China's potential to dominate global swimming heading into the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, with the teenager openly declaring the Asian Games were merely a stepping stone . The performances of Yu Zidi (13) and Shin Ohashi (17) also suggest a generational shift in Asian swimming, with young athletes already challenging world records while their older rivals continue to compete at the highest level .
Zhang's emergence signals China's potential to dominate global swimming heading into the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, with the teenager openly declaring the Asian Games were merely a stepping stone . The performances of Yu Zidi (13) and Shin Ohashi (17) also suggest a generational shift in Asian swimming, with young athletes already challenging world records while their older rivals continue to compete at the highest level .