Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi expresses his pride in Leon Marchand knowing him, while Cape Verdean goalkeeper Fusenha talks about the burdens of fame after the 2022 World Cup.

Promising Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi said he felt surprised and proud that Olympic champion Leon Marchand knew him, after the French swimmer described his 17-year-old rival as a “terrifying” talent, in light of the early preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Ohashi had broken the world record for the men's 200-meter breaststroke on his way to winning the gold medal during the Asian Games held in Japan, after recording a time of two minutes and 4.83 seconds, surpassing the previous record of two minutes and 5.48 seconds, set by the Chinese name Chen Haiyang at the 2023 World Championships in the Japanese city of Fukuoka.

Marchand, who visited the Asian Games host pool, said Ohashi's rapid rise makes him a formidable and exciting competitor at the same time, as the Frenchman looks to defend his Olympic title in Los Angeles.

Ohashi told reporters in Nagoya on Monday, in response to Marchand's statements: “Above all, I am very happy that he appreciates me.”

He added: “I have great respect for Marchand; “So, frankly, he is not the person I particularly want to face.”

He continued: “I respect him because I know how strong he is, but if I want to win, I realize that he is the person I will have to beat.”

Ohashi, who won five medals, including two gold, at the World Junior Championships last year, also won five medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, including two gold.

His world record achievement came just one week after he recovered from infection with the Covid-19 virus.

Regarding the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Ohashi said that Marchand and Briton Philip Novatsky, who beat him in the World Junior Championships last year, represent the standard by which he measures the level of competition in this race.

He added: “They are both exceptional competitors when it comes to winning victories and winning races.”

Fosinha kept clean sheets against Spain, which later won the title, and Saudi Arabia, thanks to his exceptional performance, which helped Cape Verde reach the round of 32 in this year’s FIFA World Cup, but the 40-year-old goalkeeper feels helpless in dealing with the intense attention that fame has brought him.

Cape Verde, a group of islands located near the western coast of Africa with a population of about 500,000 people, surprisingly reached the knockout stage in its first appearance in the World Cup, before losing (3-2) to Argentina.

Vozinha, who became one of the candidates to win the “Yashin Award” for the best goalkeeper this year thanks to his performance, became an international star, and the number of his followers on the “Instagram” application jumped from 56 thousand to 28 million followers.

Vozinha told the British Observer newspaper: “I lost my peace and calm. I no longer have any privacy. I go to a restaurant and there is always someone who wants to take a picture with me or ask me for an autograph. "Or worse, someone would film me... I don't think there's anything I can do about it."

His family members were also affected, with fans flocking daily to his mother's house in Cape Verde.

“I'm not there, so I can't help them,” said Fusenha, who left Portuguese second-tier club Chaves to join Chile's Colo-Colo last July. Many people want fame... but they only see the positive side of that reality. Honestly, if I had to choose between the life I live today or the life I lived before, I would choose my old life.”