Seven golds on debut: Zhang Zhanshuo makes Asian Games history

Zhang Zhanshuo of China celebrates after the men's 400m freestyle at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 25, 2026. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Moments after touching the wall in the men's 400m freestyle final on Friday, Zhang Zhanshuo surfaced, raised both hands and slowly counted from one to seven.

The 19-year-old Chinese swimmer had just completed his first Asian Games with seven gold medals. The Tokyo Aquatics Center was filled with cheers. Zhang, however, appeared remarkably calm.

"I feel much calmer than I had imagined," Zhang said after winning the 400m freestyle in an Asian Games record of 3 minutes 41.28 seconds. "Of course, I'm very happy to win these seven gold medals, and I will turn them into greater motivation going forward."

The victory made Zhang the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single edition of the Asian Games. More significantly, his haul equaled the Games record for most gold medals won by an athlete at a single edition, a mark set by DPRK shooter So Gil-san in 1982.