Magnificent seven for Zhang in Asiad pool, weightlifting records tumble

NAGOYA, Japan – China’s teenage juggernaut Zhang Zhanshuo became the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at an Asian Games on the final night in the Tokyo pool as world records tumbled in the weightlifting on Sept 25.

Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson later capped off the day’s competition by establishing himself as the continent’s fastest man with a milestone victory in the 100m in the athletics.

At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, 19-year-old Zhang sat on the lane-rope and counted seven golds with his fingers after winning the 400m freestyle in three minutes, 41.28 seconds.

Having already won the 200m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle crowns and three relay titles to boot, his seven-gold haul was one better than China’s butterfly queen Zhang Yufei (Hangzhou 2022) and Japan’s Rikako Ikee (Jakarta 2018).

Only North Korean shooter So Gil San, who won seven golds and a silver in New Delhi in 1982, has a better medal count at a single Asian Games.

Only moments after his 400m win, 1.98m Zhang was eyeing bigger prizes.

“The Asian Games is not the goal. I’m still aiming for the Olympics and competing with the best,” he said.

The towering teenager’s haul helped China sign off with 30 golds from 41 events in the pool, with chief rival Japan a distant second with seven titles.

The meet has been ground zero for an explosion of junior talent, with China’s 13-year-old schoolgirl Yu Zidi winning three golds and Japan’s 17-year-old Shin Ohashi claiming the men’s 200m breaststroke title in a world record.

The previous world record holder Qin Haiyang struck back for the established names on Sept 25, though, the 27-year-old retaining his 50m breaststroke crown in a showdown with bronze-winning Ohashi.

Zhang Yufei, 28, won the 50m butterfly, her fourth gold of the meet, and shed tears on the podium alongside old rival Ikee, who took bronze.

Weightlifting records

Two days after Ri Song Gum broke three world records en route to the women’s 49kg weightlifting gold, her North Korean compatriot Oh Kwang Ok matched that feat to win gold in the 57kg division.

Oh hoisted 104kg in the snatch and 134kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 238kg, all records.

“I can still do more than that,” she said.

China’s Yang Liuyue followed suit with three world records of her own to win the 61kg gold after North Korean rival Pak Jin Hae threw down the gauntlet with the clean and jerk world best of 139kg.

Yang matched Pak’s clean and jerk, though, and broke new ground with 112kg in the snatch and a total of 251kg.

The deflated Pak apologised to North Korea for her “shortcomings”.

At the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, 20-year-old Boonson lifted Thai athletics to new heights with his 100m victory in a personal best 9.90 seconds.

The first South-east Asian to break the 10-second barrier warmed up for his golden run with 9.91 in the semi-final.

Chen Yujie took the women’s 100m gold for China in 11.06, ahead of Singapore’s Shanti Pereira.

Olympic champion Carlos Yulo celebrated a second gymnastics gold, landing the vault title to go with his floor exercise gold on Sept 24.

A long sporting dynasty ended as China missed out on the men’s team gold in table tennis for the first time since Beijing 1990, losing 3-2 to Japan.

Tomokazu Harimoto was the hero for the hosts, winning two matches in the tie, including a 3-0 thumping of twice Olympic champion and world number one Wang Chuqin.

China’s women restored the nation’s dented pride with a sixth straight gold in the team event, claiming a resounding 3-0 win over silver medallists Japan. REUTERS

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