Kitajima Wins Two Events at Japanese Short Course Nationals

By Hideki Mochizuki

TOKYO, March 2. THE first major meet in Japan after the Athens Olympic Games was held February 26-27 at the Tatsumi International Aquatic Center. Two Japanese gold medalists were in action, Kosuke Kitajima (100/200 breaststroke) and Ai Shibata (800 freestyle).

Kitajima has put aside rumors that his preparation for this year has been delayed. Splitting 27.38 at the 50-meter mark, Kitajima set a Japanese record in the 100 breast (57.95), leading Oleg Lisogor (Ukraine) and Hugues Duboscq (France) from start to finish.

On the second day of the meet, Kitajima lost the 50 breaststroke (27.36) to Lisogor (27.21). In the 200, Kitajima also struggled a bit in the last 25 meters to finish at 2:06.98. Kitajima will train in Flagstaff in the middle of this month. The trip to Arizona, in preparation for the Japanese World Championship Trials, has become an annual trek for the breaststroker.

On the first day, Shibata won the 200 freestyle in 1:56.93 and won her specialty event, the 800 free, with time of 8:21.90. Shibata added a win in the 400 free (4:02.61) on the second day.

In other races, the closest to a world record was in the women's 200 backstroke. The bronze medalist from Athens, Reiko Nakamura won the event in 2:04.03, a new Japanese record. She also won the 100 back in a swift 58.60.

On the final day, Daisuke Hosokawa recorded a time of 48.79 in the 100 freestyle to become the first Japanese swimmer under 49 seconds. The winner was Australia's Michael Klim, who touched the pad in 47.90.

Tomomi Morita smoked in his specialty event of the 100 backstroke, finishing in 51.85. Takeshi Matsuda also broke the old short course record in the men's 400 freestyle, clocking 3:42.88.

Day One Results

Women 200m Backstroke
1 Reiko Nakamura 2:04.03 (New Japan Record)
2 Stanislava Komarova 2:06.51
3 Hanae Ito 2:08.23

Women 200m freestyle
1 Ai Shibata 1:56.93
2 Haruka Ueda 1:57.32 (Japan High School Record)
3 Norie Urabe 1:58.02

Men 200m Freestyle
1 Rick Say 1:44.37
2 Daisuke Hosokawa 1:45.50 (New Japan Record)
3 YuriPrilukov 1:45.92

Women 100m Indivual Medley
1 H.M.Seppala 1:01.58
2 Asami Kitagawa 1:02.15
3 Lin Man Hsu 1:02.64

Mens 100m Individual Medley
1 Hidemasa Sano 54.71
2 Jiro Miki 55.12
3 Ken Takakuwa 55.30

Women 50m backstroke
1 Reiko Nakamura 27.56
2 Masaki Oikawa 27.82
3 Aya Terakawa 27.83

Men 50m backstroke
1 Matt Welsh 24.00
2 Tomomi Morita 24.30 (New Japan Record)
3 Kenta Yamanoi 24.50

Women 50m Butterfly
1 Ayako Doi 26.97
2 Kozue Watanabe 27.22
3 Masae Oshimi 27.35

Men 50m Butterfly
1 Ryo Takayasu 23.40
1 Kohei Kawamoto 23.40
3 Matt Welsh 23.58

Women 50m freestyle
1 E. Michelle 24.94
2 H.M. Seppala 25.40
3 Eriko Mashima 25.56

Men 50m Freestyle
1 Brett Hawke 22.11
2 Michael Klim 22.18
3 O. Volynets 22.38
4 Makoto Ito 22.42

Women 400m Individual Medley
1 Maiko Fujino 4:34.51 (New Japan Record)
2 Sawami Fujita 4:36.37
3 H. Norfolk 4:37.51

Men 400m Individual Medley
1. Hidemasa Sano 4.07.40
2. Yuri Prilukov 4.09.76
3. Shodai Fujiki 4.10.06

Women 200m Backstroke
1 Reiko Nakamura 2:04.03 (New Japan Record)
2 Stanislava Komarova 2:06.51
3 Hanae Ito 2:08.23

Men 200m Backstroke
1 Tomomi Morita 1:53.71 (New Japan Record)
2 Takashi Nakano 1:55.41
3 Yuki Takeuchi 1:55.53

Women 200m Butterfly
1 Yuko Nakanishi 2:04.71 (New Japan Record)
2 Yurie Yano 2:05.29 (New Japan High School Record)
3 Kozue Watanabe 2:09.83

Men 200m Butterfly
1 N. Skvortsov 1:53.64
2 Takeshi Matsuda 1:53.94
3 Ryo Takayasu 1:54.02

Women 100m Breast
1 Asami Kitagawa 1:07.27 (New Japan High School Record)
2 Sayaka Nakamura 1:07.54
3 Kahori Sato 1:07.96

Men 100m Breast
1 Kosuke Kitajima 57.95 (New Japan Record)
2 Oleg Lisogor 59.31
3 Hugues Duboscq 59.55

Men 1500m Freestyle
1 Park Tae Hwan 14:48.31
2 Takeshi Matsuda 14:50.35
3 Atsushi Nagano 15:05.23

Women 800m Freestyle
1. Ai Shibata 8:21.90
2. Yumi Kida 8:30.37
3. Tomoka Yonenaga 8:34.58

Day Two Results

Women 100m Freestyle
1 H.M. Seppala 54.74
2 Norie Urabe 55.60
3 Haruka Ueda 55.71

Men 100m Freestyle
1 Michael Klim 47.90
2 Daisuke Hosokawa 48.84
3 Rick Say 48.96

Women 50m Breaststroke
1 Sayaka Nakamura 31.65
2 Sanae Nawata 32.03
3 Yuki Hayashi 32.31

Men 50m Breaststroke
1 Oleg Lisogor 27.21
2 Kosuke Kitajima 27.36
3 Hugues Duboscq 27.83

Women 100m Backstroke
1 Reiko Nakamura 58.60
2 Stanislava Komarova 59.39
3 Aya Terakawa 59.80

Men 100m Backstroke
1 Tomomi Morita 51.85 (New Japan Record)
2 Matt Welsh 51.90
3 Junichi Miyashita 52.81

Women 200m Individual Medley
1 Maiko Fujino 2:11.62
2 Lin Man Hsu 2:13.38
3 Megumi Inoue 2:13.43

Men 200m Individual Medley
1 Hidemasa Sano 1:56.35 (Tied Japan Record)
2 Taishi Okude 1:57.89
3 Sho Uchida 1:57.96

Women 100m Butterfly
1 Yuko Nakanishi 59.05
2 Kozue Watanabe 59.53
3 Yurie Yano 59.74

Men 100m Butterfly
1 Ryo Takayasu 50.91
2 N. Skvortsov 51.92
3 Kohei Kawamoto 52.18

Women 400m Freestyle
1 Ai Shibata 4:02.61
2 Yumi Kida 4:09.16
3 Haruka Ueda 4:09.21

Men 400m Freestyle
1 Yuri Prilukov 3:42.40
2 Takeshi Matsuda 3:42.88 (New Japan Record)
3 Park Tae Hwan 3:45.78

Women 200m Breaststroke
1 Asami Kitagawa 2:23.93 (New Japan High School Record)
2 Yuko Sakaguchi 2:24.40
3 Megumi Taneda 2:24.74

Men 200m Breaststroke
1 Kosuke Kitajima 2:06.98
2 Taiki Kawagoe 2:07.87
3 Genki Imamura 2:08.02

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