Home ›› 29 Jul 2021 ›› Sport
Japan’s Yui Ohashi secured an unprecedented golden double for the Olympic hosts with a win in the women’s 200m individual medley Wednesday, less than two years after she considered quitting swimming because of depression.
Ohashi produced a strong finishing freestyle leg to touch the wall in 2min 08.52sec, ahead of Americans Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass. It added to her triumph in the 400m medley, making her the first Japanese woman to win two gold medals at a summer Games. “I swam believing in myself. I really did not think of winning the gold,” she said. “I swam the last part of the race thinking win or lose, I want to be able to say I have no regrets. I made it somehow.”
Such self-belief was hard-won for Ohashi, who entered the Games ranked 17th in the 200m IM and sixth in the 400 IM after battling two health crises that threatened her career. The first was when she suffered extreme fatigue before being diagnosed with anaemia in 2015, forcing an overhaul of her diet and training regime. The second was in 2019, when she faced anxiety and depression problems believing her performance had peaked after placing third in the 400m IM at the world championships.
Ohashi regained confidence with help from her from her parents and coach, saying before the Games that she felt she had matured.
“I had times when I wanted to give up swimming but I learned to accept it and turn it into a strength. For me, it being the first time in history is something hasn’t sunk in at all. It feels like a dream, it doesn’t feel real,” she told reporters.
