Shin Ohashi: Young Swimmer Breaks Record at Asian Games

Shin Ohashi made history at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre during the Asian Games. The 17-year-old swimmer set a new world record in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke, finishing with a time of 2 minutes and 4.83 seconds. This was faster than the previous record of 2:05.48, which had been set by China’s Qin Haiyang at the Fukuoka World Championships.

Ohashi became the first Japanese swimmer in over two decades to break this specific world record. The last time a Japanese swimmer achieved this feat was in 2002, when Kosuke Kitajima set the original record. Ohashi celebrated his win by raising his arms and bowing to the crowd.

This victory marked Ohashi’s second gold medal at the Asian Games. Earlier, he had won a joint gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke event. However, his journey to success wasn’t easy. Just one week before the competition, Ohashi was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Despite this challenge, Ohashi continued to excel. In August, he broke his own junior and national records in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Last year, he had also won five medals at the World Junior Championships.

Ohashi is not your typical athlete. Standing at just 5 feet 7 inches (1.69 meters), he doesn’t have a tall build. Yet, he has managed to break records held by Kitajima, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

His coach, Shin Ota, was surprised by his achievements. Ota noted that Ohashi is naturally muscular and doesn’t focus on weight training. He believes Ohashi has the potential to follow in Kitajima’s footsteps and win Olympic medals.

While Ohashi may seem unfocused at times, his swimming success shows he is anything but ordinary. With more experience and personal growth, Ota predicts that Ohashi will one day achieve even greater accomplishments.