Shin Ohashi sets a world record in the men's 200m breaststroke; the 17-year-old's feat shocks the swimming world

Shin Ohashi (Hirakata SS) set a world record in the men's 200m breaststroke at the Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games with a time of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds. The 17-year-old's unconventional swimming time shocked the competitive swimming world.

He placed 3rd at the Pan Pacific Championship in August. He focused on the 100m and did not do the necessary training to improve his 200m performance, and this was reflected in his results. After the tournament, he focused on training for the 200 meters in preparation for the Asian Games. He became more confident in breaking the record.

He is one size smaller than the world's top athletes. Because he competes with a small physique of 169 centimeters, his biggest characteristic is that he uses his incredible stamina to swim at a faster tempo and with more strokes than other swimmers.

I just love swimming, and whenever I have free time, I watch videos of athletes. We analyzed the kicks of Leon Marchand (France), who won four titles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and focused on how he uses his hips. ``He used his hips to gain momentum, pushed his body into the water strongly, and swam in a way that made use of his kicks.'' I incorporated it into my swimming and it led to great progress.

Champion Marchand is also wary of Ohashi, whose potential for growth is immeasurable. ``I want him to continue to grow. I'm scared to race with him, but I'm really looking forward to it.''

He had envisioned a future in which he would retire after running a time in the 2:03 range, but the 17-year-old's goals are likely to be revised upward as he continues to grow rapidly. He has the potential to become a legendary figure like Kosuke Kitajima, who achieved the feat of winning two Olympic titles in breaststroke.