Japan National Sports Festival: Kohei Kawamoto Sets Asian Record, Tomoyo Fukuda Downs Japanese Standard

By Hideki Mochizuki, Swimming World Japanese correspondent

NAGAOKA, Niigata, Japan, September 11. DURING the 64th edition of the Japan National Sports Festival, which began yesterday in Niigata, Japan, an Asian and Japanese record fell.

Kohei Kawamoto just missed becoming the ninth member of the 50-second club in the men's 100 fly with a 51-flat winning time (51.00). The swim broke the Asian record of 51.24 set by Takuro Fujii at the World Championships. Kawamoto move ahead of Brazil's Gabriel Mangabeira as the ninth-fastest performer of all time. Kawamoto is a 29-year-old veteran who finished third at the World Championship Trials with a 51.91 in April.

Fukuda, meanwhile, turned in a 2:10.90 in the women's 200 IM. She split the race 27.71, 1:00.50, 1:39.71, 2:10.90. The time smashed the Japanese record of Asami Kitagawa with a 2:11.44 last summer, and moved Fukuda into 16th all time in the event. She is now sandwiched between Americans Dagny Knutson (2:10.79) and Elizabeth Pelton (2:11.03). Fukuda is 20 years old, and participated at the World Championships where she finished with a 2:13.36 in the 200 IM semifinals.

Other Results
* A= Junior and senior high school, B=senior at Junior high and freshmen at high school
Men
400 free: Takeshi Matsuda, 3:46.59
100 free (B): Yuki Kobori, 49.51, national high school record
200 back (A): Wataru Matsubara, 1:58.92
200 IM: Yuya Horihata, 2:00.53
100 fly (B): Ikuya Hidaka, 54.15
100 fly: Kohei Kawamoto, 51.00 New Asian/Japanese record
200 breast (A): Yukihiro Takahashi, 2:12.86

Women
400 free: Kazuki Wakara, 4:11.59
100 free (B): Mao Kawakami, 56.46
200 back (A): Yuka Kawayoke, 2:10.68
200 IM: Tomoyo Fukuda, 2:10.90 New Japanese record
100 fly (B): Kaiki Katsuyama, 1:00.29
100 fly: Yuka Kato, 58.36
200 breast (A): Miho Takahashi, 2:27.30

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