Published : Oct. 4, 2014 - 15:28
Japanese swimming sensation Kosuke Hagino was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 17th Incheon Asian Games on Saturday.
Among the shortlist of eight athletes, Hagino took the prize after having delivered four gold medals in the pool, in addition to one silver and two bronze.
"I did not expect this at all," Hagino said at a press conference. "I want to thank my family and my teammates."
In Incheon, Hagino grabbed gold medals in the men's 200ｍindividual medley with an Asian record time, the 200ｍ freestyle, the 4x200ｍ freestyle relay and the 400ｍ individual medley.
Kosuke Hagion (Yonhap)
The 20-year-old versatile swimmer has already been tipped as a strong contender to win the medley gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
"I want to do well at the Rio Olympics two years from now and at the Tokyo Olympics six years from now," Hagino said.
The young swimmer, who defeated Sun Yang of China and South Korean Park Tae-hwan in the 200ｍ freestyle, said it was a great experience to compete against two Asian giants.
"It was a pleasure and great experience to race against great athletes," Hagino said.
The other nominees were South Korean fencer Nam Hyun-hee, South Korean judo athlete Kim Jae-bum, Chinese gymnast Yao Jinnan, Thailand sepaktakraw player Suriyan Peachan, Chinese shooter Cao Yifei, North Korean weightlifter Kim Un-guk and Malaysian squash player David Nicol Ann.
The award, decided by 1,600 accredited journalists covering the games, is given out by the Samsung Group. (Yonhap)