Hangzhou Asian Games: Chinese athelete embrace Japanese athelete

On September 29th, the swimming competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games concluded at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Swimming Hall. In the women’s 50m butterfly final, Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei, despite having a cold, won the gold medal with a time of 25.10 seconds, breaking the Asian Games record. With this victory, Zhang Yufei completed all her events at this edition of the Asian Games, winning a total of 6 gold medals. Another Chinese swimmer, Yu Yiting, won the silver medal, while Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee won the bronze medal. After the award ceremony, Zhang Yufei shed tears and embraced Rikako Ikee affectionately. Both of them have won six gold medals at the Asian Games and have shone on the Asian Games stage.

In the previous Asian Games, “six-gold queen” Rikako Ikee was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019. Over the course of five years, she overcame the disease, restarted her training, and “reborn” in the swimming arena. From their embrace at the Tokyo Olympics to the invitation at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and even during the Chengdu Universiade, Zhang Yufei wrote her blessings for Rikako Ikee on her palm before competing…