Tokyo, Sept. 22 (Jiji Press)–Japanese swimmer Yumeki Kojima won a gold medal in the men’s 400-meter individual medley at the Asian Games on Tuesday. The 17-year-old clocked a meet-record time of 4:07.02. In the same event, Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita, 21, grabbed a silver medal. Among other Japanese swimmers, Kaito Tabuchi, 24, won silver in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle, and Kazushi Imafuku, 19, earned bronze in the same race. In the men’s 4×100-meter medley relay, Japan picked up a silver medal, setting a new Japan record of 3:28.70. The Japan-hosted Asian Games started earlier this month, with many events taking place at venues in the central prefecture of Aichi, while swimming races are held in Tokyo. In the women’s artistic gymnastics all-around, Aiko Sugihara, 27, captured gold with 55.599 points, becoming the first Japanese gymnast to win the event ever at the Asian Games. Japan’s Misa Nishiyama, 16, won bronze. Kazuki Iimura, a 22-year-old fencer, became the first Japanese to win a men’s foil individual gold since Yuki Ota in the 2006 Asian Games. Domestic rival Kyosuke Matsuyama grabbed bronze. In the women’s volleyball final, Japan lost to defending champion China 19-25, 20-25, 23-25, failing to win its first gold medal in 48 years. Still, it secured silver for the second consecutive time. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
