At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Shin Ohashi finished first with a time of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds. He surpassed Denis Petrashov (Kyrgyzstan) who clocked 2 minutes 8.67 seconds, and Cho Sung-jae (South Korea) with 2 minutes 8.76 seconds.
The Japanese swimmer also broke three records: world, Asian, and ASIAD, all previously held by Qin Haiyang of Trung Quoc. Haiyang had set a time of 2 minutes 5.48 seconds at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July. Two months later, he secured a gold medal at ASIAD 2023 with 2 minutes 7.03 seconds on home soil.
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Japanese athlete Shin Ohashi wins gold in the 200m breaststroke at ASIAD 2026, setting a world record of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Japan, on 24/9. Photo: AFP
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Japanese athlete Shin Ohashi wins gold in the 200m breaststroke at ASIAD 2026, setting a world record of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Japan, on 24/9. Photo: AFP
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Japanese athlete Shin Ohashi (center) wins gold in the 200m breaststroke at ASIAD 2026, setting a world record of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Japan, on 24/9. Photo: AFP
"My goal was always to break the world record and I am very happy to have achieved it", Ohashi said. "Many things happened before ASIAD 2026, but I received a lot of help to achieve this result".
The swimmer, born in 2009, has set his next goal to win gold medals at the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics. "I am never satisfied and always want to repeat feelings like today", Ohashi added.
At ASIAD 2026, Shin Ohashi secured his first gold medal in the 100m breaststroke with 58.64 seconds, tying with Dong Zhihao of Trung Quoc. He also contributed to two silver medals in the men's 4x100m medley relay and the mixed 4x100m medley relay.
Ohashi, standing at 1.69 m tall, impresses with his powerful swimming and remarkable burst of speed.
The Japanese swimmer first made an impression on the international stage by dominating all breaststroke events at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Australia. Subsequently, he won two gold medals in the men's 4x100m medley relay and the mixed 4x100m medley relay at the 2025 World Junior Championships.
Before Ohashi, three other swimmers had recorded times under two minutes six seconds: Qin Haiyang, French Olympic champion Leon Marchand (2 minutes 5.85 seconds), and Australian Olympic champion Zac Stubblety Cook (2 minutes 5.95 seconds).
After 5 days of competition, the ASIAD 2026 swimming events have completed 35 disciplines. Ohashi is the first swimmer to break a world record. Other swimmers contributed to breaking 12 ASIAD records and 6 Asian records.
Trung Quoc continues to assert its dominance with 25 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 9 bronze medals. Following are Japan (6-13-12), Hong Kong (2-3-1), South Korea (1-5-11), and Bahrain (1-0-0).
Singapore is the only Southeast Asian representative to win two silver medals, thanks to Gan Ching Hwee in the women's 400m and 1,500m freestyle events.
Trung Thu
