Swimmer Hagino named MVP of Incheon Asian Games

Incheon Asian Games MVP Kosuke Hagino of Japan. - AFP

INCHEON: Swimmer Kosuke Hagino was named as Samsung Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner at the Asian Games.

As the winner, Hagino received a trophy, a 65-inch curved UHD TV and US$50,000 (RM162,404).

The 20-year-old was picked ahead of seven other nominees - South Korean fencer Nam Hyun-hee, Chinese gymnast Yao Jinna, Thai sepaktakraw star Peachan Suriyan, Chinese shooter Cao Yifei, South Korean judoka Kim Jae-bum, North Korean world-record breaking weightlifter Kim Un-guk and Malaysian squash queen Nicol David.

Hagino proved to be a revelation in Incheon, winning four golds, one silver and two bronzes. Hagino’s most memorable win was in the men’s 200m freestyle where he beat Olympic champions Sun Yang of China and Park Tae-hwan of South Korea.

Hagino was the third Japanese to win the award. Track and field star Koji Ito was the inaugural winner in 1998. In Busan in 2002, Japan won for the second time through swimmer Kosuke Kitajima.

The soft-spoken Hagino thanked his family and his team-mates for their support.

“It’s especially meaningful for me because I had a chance to compete with big name stars like Tae-hwan and Sun Yang,” he said on Saturday.

“I’m already happy with my performance but I’m thrilled to win my first-ever MVP award. I will take the award as a message of encouragement,” said Hagino.