TOKYO, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- On the closing night of the swimming program at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, China's Zhang Zhanshuo capped a remarkable campaign by winning the men's 400m freestyle on Friday, becoming the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single edition of the Games.
The 19-year-old clocked 3 minutes 41.28 seconds, breaking the Asian Games record, to complete a clean sweep of seven of the eight events he entered. His haul also matched the Asian Games record for most gold medals won by an athlete at a single edition, set by DPR Korean shooter So Gil-san in 1982.
Zhang's reaction to his unprecedented achievement was strikingly calm.
"I feel much calmer than I had imagined. Of course, I'm very happy to win these seven gold medals, and I will turn them into greater motivation going forward," Zhang said after the race.
He said the most emotional moment came when he touched the wall and looked up at the scoreboard, where his time flashed with an Asian Games record. He also raised his hand and counted from one to seven in the water after the race, a simple gesture to mark his seven titles.
"It was a perfect finish to the Games," Zhang said.
Asked about his ambitions for the Los Angeles Olympics, Zhang stressed that the Asian Games was not his ultimate goal.
"I need to settle down and face the gaps between myself and the world's best. The Asian Games are not my ultimate goal," he said.
His next target is more demanding, which is the world record. Zhang's 3:41.28 was just over a second outside the men's 400m free world record, and he said he would work toward breaking it over the next two years.
"I think that will be one of my next goals, and I will give my all to chase the world record," he said.
Zhang acknowledged that plenty still needs to be improved, from technique to overall ability. He singled out his turns as one area for further work, saying there remains a significant gap between his turns and those of the world's top swimmers.
"I think there are many things I need to improve. That's also one of the purposes of this competition, to make a new summary and find the gaps, both technically and in terms of ability," he said.
Zhang's seven golds came in the men's 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, as well as the men's 4x200m free, 4x100m free and mixed 4x100m medley relays. He said he did not regard any single event as his favorite, preferring to continue developing across the middle and long distance free events.
"Everything is possible. I will stay humble and keep pushing forward," he said.
China won five more titles on the final day and finished the swimming program with 30 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze medals.
China's Li Bingjie also completed a five-gold collection after winning the women's 800m free in 8:24.02, but the 24-year-old was far from satisfied with her performance.
"I'd give myself a seven out of 10," Li said. "My time was below my expectations, and I also wasn't good enough at preventing illness and injury."
Li said she caught a fever after her 400m free race and was also less content with her result in the relay the previous day, where she felt she had relied on her teammates to build the advantage.
Despite these defects, she saw the Games as an evidence that she was gradually climbing back after a difficult period following the 2025 National Games. She said changes in her training approach had been a process of trial and error, while her mindset had also improved compared with that during the national championships.
"All five gold medals were earned through great efforts," Li said, adding that she wanted to take photos with her teammates to remember the achievement. She joked that her five golds were like "five gold mooncakes" for the Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on Friday.
Zhang Yufei successfully defended her women's 50m butterfly title in 25.41 seconds, with teammate Wu Qingfeng taking silver in 25.62 and Japan's Rikako Ikee bronze in 25.97. Zhang was visibly emotional on the podium, wiping tears after the victory.
For Zhang, the Games had produced some of the strongest emotional ups and downs she had experienced in recent years.
"Winning has become something quite common for me, so now I'm more focused on the times and on pushing myself to achieve better results," Zhang said. Reflecting on her long rivalry with Ikee, she added that she hoped both could continue swimming healthily and happily.
Qin Haiyang claimed the men's 50m breaststroke title in 26.68, ahead of compatriot Liu Junjie in 26.99, while Japan's Shin Ohashi took bronze in 27.01.
Qin said he was satisfied overall with his Games' results, although he believed there was room for improvement. Asked about Ohashi breaking his world record in the men's 200m breaststroke on Thursday, Qin said the event was becoming increasingly competitive, with a growing diversity of techniques and styles among the world's top swimmers.
Japan's Kodai Nishiono won the men's 200m backstroke in 1:56.42, followed by South Korea's Lee Ju-ho in 1:56.58 and China's Xu Jiayu in 1:56.73.
Chinese Taipei's Wang Kuan-hung took the men's 200m butterfly title in 1:55.05, with China's Xu Fang second in 1:55.65 and South Korea's Kim Minseop third in 1:55.94. China's Wang Xizhe finished fourth in 1:55.95.
China also won the women's 4x100m medley relay in a Games record of 3:54.55, with Japan taking silver in 3:57.64 and South Korea bronze in 4:00.67. ■
