3. Xu Jiayu (male, swimming)

Xu, 23, reaped five gold medals from men's 50m, 100m and 200m backstrokes and two relay events at the Jakarta Asian Games. On November 11, Xu broke the 100m backstroke world record (shortcourse) in 48.88 seconds at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Tokyo.

Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2018 shows Xu Jiayu of China celebrating after winning the gold medal of Men's 100m Backstroke Final in the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Xu Jiayu (male, 23) reaped five gold medals from men's 50m, 100m and 200m backstrokes and two relay events at the Jakarta Asian Games. On November 11, Xu broke the 100m backstroke world record (shortcourse) in 48.88 seconds at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Tokyo. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)