I don't feel like I'm a star: Ohashi

TOKYO • Japan's Yui Ohashi was a reluctant star after completing the individual medley double with victory in the 200m yesterday, but she said her triumph was reward for persevering when she struggled from depression and wanted to give up swimming.

After winning the 400m IM on Sunday, she credited a wave of support from home town Hikone in helping her realise her dream. And she tapped into it again yesterday, becoming the first Japanese woman to win two golds at a single Olympics.

Ohashi, 25, was second behind earlier pacesetter Yu Yiting after the butterfly and backstroke legs, but produced a strong finishing freestyle leg to touch the wall in 2min 8.52sec, with Alex Walsh second in 2:08.65 and fellow American Kate Douglass third in 2:09.04.

Hungary's Katinka Hosszu won both medley events in Rio 2016 but she was not able to keep pace with Ohashi, finishing seventh and nearly four seconds behind.

Asked later how she has coped with anxiety and mental health issues in 2019, Ohashi said: "I had times when I wanted to give up swimming, but I learnt to accept it and turned it into a strength."

The arena was empty due to Covid-19 restrictions but that did not matter to the Japanese.

"Many, many people are overjoyed. I can hear them, and I am very happy for their support," she said. "It's not really just me, I don't really feel like I am a star."

She added: "To be honest it still feels surreal."

Australian Ariarne Titmus shared her sentiment.

She also won her second gold medal yesterday in the 200m freestyle, after beating American rival Katie Ledecky in the 400m free on Monday.

"I'm just from a small town in Tasmania and it just goes to show if you believe you can do something, you can 100 per cent do it if you work for it," said Titmus, 20.

She won in 1:53.50, an Olympic record, with Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey second in 1:53.92 and Canadian Penny Oleksiak (1:54.70) third. Ledecky was fifth in 1:55.21.

Titmus is the first Australian woman to complete the 200m-400m Olympic double since Shane Gould at the 1972 Munich Games.

Ledecky will not leave Japan empty-handed, however, as she later won the 1,500m free in 15:37.34, ahead of teammate Erica Sullivan (15:41.41).

Titmus and Ledecky are expected to face each other in the 800m free on Saturday in which the latter is heavily favoured, and they will also clash in the 4x200m free relay.

Britain won the men's gold of that relay yesterday with the quartet of Tom Dean, Duncan Scott, James Guy and Matthew Richards. Together with Adam Peaty's 100m breaststroke win and Dean's 200m free win, it is the first time since 1908 that Britain have won three titles in a pool at one Games.

They touched the wall in 6:58.58 - just three hundredths of a second shy of the world record set by the United States in 2009 - ahead of the Russian team. Australia claimed the bronze.

Hungarian Kristof Milak lived up to his top billing in the 200m fly, finishing ahead of Japan's Tomoru Honda (1:53.73) and Italy's Federico Burdisso (1:54.45). His time of 1:51.25 is an Olympic record, surpassing Michael Phelps' 1:52.03 from Beijing 2008.

His time might have been even faster - he was aiming to lower his world record of 1:50.73 set at the 2019 world championships - if not for a mishap with his trunks which forced a quick change.

He said: "They split 10 minutes before I entered the pool and in that moment I knew the world record was gone. I lost my focus and knew I couldn't do it... but I am happy with the gold medal."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, XINHUA, REUTERS