Seven golds on debut: Zhang Zhanshuo makes Asian Games history

Zhang Zhanshuo (R) poses with coach Jin Hao. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

For Chinese swimming, it was also a new benchmark, as Zhang surpassed the six-gold haul of teammate Zhang Yufei at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. His seven titles came from a demanding mix of individual and relay events: the men's 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, the men's 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, and the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

He won gold in seven of the eight events he entered, while setting an Asian record in the 200m freestyle, Games records in the 400m and 800m, and Asian records in the two men's freestyle relays.

But the seven medals did not change the way Zhang viewed the competition. Asked what had excited him most during the Games, he did not point to the medal ceremonies or the seven-gold haul. Instead, he recalled the instant he touched the wall.

"When I touched the wall and came out of the water, I looked back at the big screen and saw my time flashing, or the 'AR' mark," he said.

Then came the quiet count from one to seven. "It was a perfect finish to the Games," Zhang said.

The calmness was not a sign that Zhang considered his work finished. Quite the opposite, when asked about his ambitions for the Los Angeles Olympics, Zhang stressed that the Asian Games was not his ultimate goal.

"I need to settle down and face the gaps between myself and the world's best. The Asian Games is not my ultimate goal," he said.