W

ith swimming's six-days of competitions complete, the swimmers are now looking to the next Asian Games, which will be held in Jakarta in 2018.

'I want to compete in Jakarta, and I hope I have great results,' Japanese swimmer Kosuke Higano told a press conference at Munhak Aquatics Center on Friday.

20-year-old Hagino has been the star of the pool, bagging four gold medals. His rise to games stardom began when he snatched gold in the men's 200-meter freestyle on the opening day of the races, beating Olympic champion Sun Yang and Park Tae-hwan, the star of the last Asian Games.

His other three gold medals came in the 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley and 4x200m freestyle medley.

With his four-gold collection, for which the Korea Herald in its September edition dubbed him 'conqueror of Asia', Hagino is a strong candidate for the MPV Award. If he continues unrivalled, he will be the second Japanese swimmer, after Kosuke Kitajima in 2002, to be crowned the Games' best athlete.

Park Tae-hwan, who has been overshadowed by his rivals in Incheon, was the 2006 recipient.

Japan had won 10 gold medals before the last day's finals, while China raked in 18 of 38 golds up for grabs at the swimming pool.

'I didn't set myself any particular target,' Higano said about his medal collection, explaining that he just took each race as it came.

Jakarta was chosen to host the 2018 Asian Games during the Olympic Council of Asia's general assembly held a day after the Games' opening ceremony.

It will be the first time Jakarta has hosted the quadrennial multi-sport event since 1962, which saw Japan dominate the medals table. The games were first held in New Delhi in 1951.

Japan's medal roll continued before China halted it in 1982. The archipelagic nation has since then even had to play second fiddle to neighbor South Korea.

In Incheon, Japan fought South Korea hard in the medal chase, while China was unchallenged in its bid to retain the status of overall champion.

Asked if, in Jakarta, he would be motivated by a desire to help send Japan back to the top of the medals table, Hagino said he would do his best to achieve good results, and that he hoped the national team would do the same.

' JP/Musthofid