Daiya Seto Goes 1:46 200 Free & 59 100 Breast At Konami Cup

daiya-seto

The 2020 Konami Open at the Tatsumi International Swimming Centre in Tokyo was a relatively calm affair in terms of the depth of quality often seen at Japanese meets.

That noted, the men’s 200m backstroke drew the eye, while Yui Ohashi (4:34 400IM) and Daiya Seto (1:46 200 free and 59 100 breast) continued to show the kind of in-training form that confirms them as big podium contenders for the home Olympic Games in the same city come July.

The 92nd moment Ryosuke Irie raced inside 1:57 over 200m back, on 1:56.27, was noticeable for the magnet he has become to the following wave: the two younger athletes nearest to him both laid down big personal bests. Ryoya Naitou had yet to crack 1:59 going into the final but emerged sporting a new career high of 1:57.97.

Third place went to 15-year-old Shuichi Takehara in an age record of 2:00.14. Around the same age, 15 turning 16, Irie improved from a 2:01.26 to a 1:58.85, a time that is now the 119th best of a career topped over 200m by his Asian record of 1:52.51. Inspiration for young Takehara.

Seto’s Sizzling Approach To Tokyo 2020

Seto practiced the parts of the medley sum he intends to convert to gold come the big one by wiping a second off his 200m free personal best: his new high of 1:46.65 places him 8th fastest all-time among Japanese. Naito Ehara, was closest, on 1:47.76. On day 2, Ehara won the 400m free in 3:49.50.

Seto also put the cat among the breaststroke pigeons with a 59.93 over 100m breaststroke, a time that will doubtless send shudders down the spines of his 400IM rivals around the world. Shoma Sato, who last month leapt into the club of 2:07 swimmers over 200m, finished second to seto over two lasp, on 1:00.32.

Seto’s latest efforts add to sensational swims over 400m medley – long and short-course – and the 200m butterfly of late.

Ohashi Builds Pressure On The 4:30 Dam She Aims To Burst

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Yui Ohashi – Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

Ohashi’s season best of 4:34.85 in the 400m medley (2019 season best 4:32.33 from World titles compared to a career high of 4:30.82 in 2018) cracked the Konami meet mark of 4:34.99. It also marked Ohashi’s 12th sub-4:35 of this Olympic cycle, 2019 having been dedicated to working not for that season but this: Japanese Olympic trials in April will show just how much pressure she has placed on the 4:30 dam she intends to burst.

With her latest effort, Ohashi tops the early 2020 World rankings with a time that scraped inside the 4:34.94 she clocked at the Kosuke Kitajima Cup last month. At the weekend, she also topped the 200m butterfly, on 2:08.27.

In Other Action

The 200IM did not feature Seto, leaving Ippei Miyamoto to take the race in 1:59.11 ahead of Seto’s great domestic rival Kosuke Hagino, working his way back to form after a time of injury and rehab, on 1:59.23.

Reona Aoki was in fine form, taking the 50m and 100m breaststroke finals in a meet record 30.80 and a dominant 1:06.68 respectively. In the dash, Yuki Takasaki was close, on 30.94.

The Japanese winter meets are now done, the storm of the Japan Swim, the national championships and Olympic trials the horizon all are aiming for in search of a berth on a home-games squad back at the same pool between April 2-8.

Among other winners at the Konami Cup:

Women:

  • Rio Shirai, 54.93, 1:58.21, 100 and 200m free

Men:

  • Masahiro Kawane, 49.24, 100m freestyle
  • Tomoru Honda, 1:56.19, 200m butterfly
  • Ippei Miyamoto, 4:16.38, 400m medley

Results in full

 

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Thomas A. Small
4 years ago

Congratulations

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