At an Asian Games pool entranced by China’s 13-year-old Yu Zidi, hosts Japan hailed their own teen prodigy on Tuesday as Yumeki Kojima powered to medley gold in a swim that made French great Leon Marchand sit up and take notice.
The 17-year-old Kojima’s triumph in the men’s 400 metres individual medley set a Games record of four minutes 7.02 seconds at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, topping the 12-year-old mark of Kosuke Hagino, one of Japan’s favourite swimming sons.
World record holder Marchand was at the pool giving a swimming clinic for local children but Kojima hopes one day to school the four-times Olympic champion.
“Marchand is the athlete I’m aiming for the most. I want to
close the gap on him little by little and, one day, be able to
beat him,” said Kojima, who also rewrote his world junior
record.
Highlighted by schoolgirl Yu’s two individual golds, China
have dominated the pool at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, and they
continued in that vein on day three of full competition.
Peng Xuwei grabbed another title for the swimming superpower
in the women’s 200m backstroke in an Asian record 2:05.77 to
smash the previous mark (2:06.46) of compatriot Zhao Jing.
China may struggle to match their record of 201 golds from
their home Games in Hangzhou three years ago but record-breaking
shooters Sheng Lihao and Wang Zifei won’t be to blame.
Olympic champion Sheng claimed his third gold at Nagoya
alongside Wang in the 10m air rifle mixed team event as they
combined for a world-record score of 507.1.
Sheng, a double gold medallist at Hangzhou, had already
swept the individual and men’s team titles in the 10m air rifle
earlier in the competition.
Afghanistan celebrated a maiden cycling medal won by a woman
who once disguised herself as a man when training in the nation
and ultimately fled the Taliban when they returned to power.
Fariba Hashimi said her silver behind China’s Guo Li in the
road event showed the resilience of Afghan women.
“I hope that the next generation will come here and
represent their country without any fear,” said the Italy-based
cyclist.
“They took away our freedom, they took away everything from
us.”
Outside the competition venues, organisers were on the
defensive over accommodation and logistics problems that
blighted the event’s buildup.
South Korea’s team chef de mission said athletes had paid
the price for cost-cutting measures in a rebuke of the Games’
management.
An Aichi-Nagoya organising committee official apologised.
A South Korean media report said two members of North
Korea’s 180-strong Asian Games delegation in Japan were looking
to seek asylum, citing a source from Japan’s Cabinet
Intelligence and Research Office.
Reuters was unable to confirm the report and Asian Games
organisers did not provide immediate comment.
China’s teenage phenomenon Yu is set to return to the pool
on day four on Wednesday in pursuit of a third individual title
in the 400m medley, while hosts Japan face a gymnastics showdown
with China for the men’s and women’s team golds.
Source: Khaleej Times