NAGOYA - Japan’s teenage swimming sensation Shin Ohashi produced one of the defining performances of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, smashing the men’s 200 metres breaststroke world record as China continued its dominant gold-medal run by crossing the 75-gold mark. The 17-year-old Ohashi clocked a sensational 2:04.83 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre to erase the previous world record of 2:05.48 set by China’s Qin Haiyang at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. Ohashi’s record came just over a week after he contracted COVID-19, an illness he believes may ultimately have helped his preparation. “The world record was my goal, so I’m very happy to get it,” Ohashi said after his remarkable performance. “My next goal is the gold medal at the world championships.”

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His rapid rise has already attracted attention from French Olympic champion Leon Marchand, who earlier described the Japanese teenager as a serious future rival. Meanwhile, China maintained its commanding position on the overall medal table, with Zhang Zhanshuo securing his sixth gold of the Games after helping the Chinese team win the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

China added further gold medals in shooting and mountain biking. Jiang Yiting held her nerve with her final shot to complete a hat-trick of titles by helping China win the mixed team skeet event. She had already triumphed in the individual and women’s team competitions. In mountain biking, Wu Zhifan and Liang Zhenglan delivered another Chinese one-two finish in the women’s cross-country event. The Philippines also celebrated a landmark achievement as Olympic champion Carlos Yulo captured the men’s floor exercise title. The 26-year-old scored 14.666 to edge Kazakhstan’s Milad Karimi, who finished on 14.600. Yulo, who trained in Japan on a scholarship, said the victory helped erase the disappointment of his Asian Games experience in Jakarta in 2018. The title also completed his career collection of world, Olympic and continental championships.

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Meanwhile, veteran Uzbek gymnast Oksana Chusovitina, competing at the age of 51, finished fifth in the women’s vault. The eight-time Olympian, who won bronze at Hiroshima 1994, said the experience had strengthened her determination to pursue qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Off the field of play, organisers continued to defend the Games’ accommodation arrangements amid criticism of the compact, shipping-container-style modular units being used to house some athletes and officials. The original plan for a dedicated Athletes’ Village was abandoned as organisers sought to reduce costs, with around 17,000 athletes and officials accommodated in hotels, modular units and a cruise ship.

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Some athletes and local residents have criticised the size of the modular cabins, but Asian Games organising committee official Yuta Matsuo said athletes’ feedback had been considered throughout the planning process.