Teen Zhang Zhanshuo makes Asian Games history with seven golds as North Korean lifters set records
Zhang Zhanshuo, a 19-year-old Chinese swimmer, became the first athlete to capture seven gold medals at a single Asian Games, while North Korean women broke multiple weight-lifting world records.
At the Asian Games in Nagoya, 19-year-old Chinese swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo made history by securing seven gold medals, the most ever won by a single athlete at the event. His victories spanned the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle races and three relay events, highlighted by a Games-record 3:41.28 in the 400m freestyle. China swept 30 of the 42 swimming golds, with prodigy Yu Zidi adding three individual titles in record time.
Meanwhile, North Korean women continued their weight-lifting dominance, with Oh Kwang Ok setting three world records in the 57kg class, and China’s Yang Liuye breaking records in the 61kg class after a tight duel with Pak Jin Hae. Other notable moments included Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo’s second gold on the vault, South Korea’s narrow win over China in women’s basketball, and Japan’s Shin Ohashi breaking the men’s 200m breaststroke world record. The multi-sport showcase in Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture underscored rising Asian talent ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics.
Why it matters
The achievements set new benchmarks in Asian sport and signal strong contenders for the upcoming Olympics.
How this story developed
- Sep 19 Hwang Sun-woo aims for 100m freestyle gold at Asian Games debut
- Sep 19 The 20th Asian Games opened in Nagoya with a message of Asian unity, but the opening ceremony was marked by many vacant seats and a series of organisational challenges.
- Sep 25 An anthem mix‑up involving North Korea’s song at a South Korea match was reported.
- Sep 26 Yu Zidi qualified for the women's 200m butterfly final and Hwang Sun-woo is scheduled to race the men's 100m freestyle on Sunday.
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