'Not my ultimate goal': Chinese teen swimmer makes history with seven golds at Asian Games

In a sensational show from 19-year-old Chinese swimmer Zhang Zhanshuo, he etched his name in the record books after clinching not one, but seven gold medals at the ongoing 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. On Friday, after cruising to the 400m freestyle title at the Tokyo Pool, Zhanshuo sat on the lane divider and was seen counting out his gold medals on his fingers.

Zhanshuo won the 400m freestyle in a Games-record time of 3min 41.28sec, finishing ahead of Japan’s Kazushi Imafuku.

Earlier, the teenager had won individual titles in the 200m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events, as well as three relay golds.

But despite what turned out to be a “perfect week” for Zhanshuo, he already has his eyes on the Los Angeles Olympics, which is less than two years away.

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“I think the most important thing is to stay grounded and focused, because the Asian Games are not my ultimate goal,” said Zhanshuo, who has been touted as a potential successor to Sun Yang, one of China’s most decorated swimmers, who served two doping bans.

Zhanshuo is the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single Asian Games, surpassing China’s butterfly queen Zhang Yufei, who won six at Hangzhou 2022, and Japan’s Rikako Ikee, who also won six at Jakarta 2018. Overall, he also equalled the record for most gold medals won by an individual at a single Asian Games, matching North Korean shooter So Gin-man, who won seven golds and a silver in New Delhi in 1982.

So Gin-man, however, still holds the record for most medals won by an individual at a single Asian Games, with eight.

Zhanshuo is not the only teenager to attract attention with a phenomenal show. Yu Zidi, 13, won three individual golds — in the 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley — all in Games-record times. Japan’s 17-year-old Shin Ohashi, meanwhile, shattered the men’s 200m breaststroke world record on Thursday.