Seven golds on debut: Zhang Zhanshuo makes Asian Games history

Zhang Zhanshuo competes during the men's 1500m freestyle final, Sept. 22, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

And his next target is the world record. Zhang's 3:41.28 was just 1.25 seconds outside the world record, and he said breaking that mark would be one of his next goals over the coming two years.

"I think that will be one of my next goals, and I will give my all to chase the world record," he said.

The young swimmer is also clear about what stands between him and that target.

"There are many things I need to improve," Zhang said. "That's also one of the purposes of this competition, to make a new summary and find the gaps, both technically and in terms of ability."

Zhang said his turning technique still lagged behind that of some of the world's top swimmers, making it an important focus for his next phase of training.

The same approach applies to his events. Rather than picking one as his favorite, Zhang said he wanted to continue developing across the middle and long distance free events.