Shin Ohashi and Yumeki Kojima Blast World Junior Records at Japan Swim
Looking to the future, expectations are high for significant Japanese success on the international stage. Two of those reasons shared the spotlight during the third night of finals at the Japan Swim in Tokyo, as Shin Ohashi and Yumeki Kojima notched world junior records in the 200-meter breaststroke and 200 individual medley, respectively.
Two days after he set a WJR in the 100 breaststroke, Ohashi lowered his junior standard in the 200 breaststroke, going 2:06.59 for a dominant win. Ohashi sliced .32 off his former record and got to the wall more than two seconds ahead of Ippei Watanabe, the runnerup in 2:08.57. Ohashi was out in 27.95 and made the 100-meter turn in 59.86. He split 1:32.86 at the 150-meter mark and closed in 33.73.
The victory handed Ohashi a sweep of the breaststroke events at the Japan Swim, annually one of the top domestic events in the nation. The mark was also just shy of the Japanese record in the event, which belongs to Shoma Sato in 2:06.40.
While Ohashi continued to dazzle in the breaststroke, Tomoyuki Matsushita and Kojima put on a show in the final of the 200 IM. Matsushita prevailed in a stellar time of 1:55.71, but it was the 1:56.53 of the 17-year-old Kojima that was record-setting. With that performance, Kojima bettered the WJR of Hubert Kos, who went 1:56.99 during his junior days. Kojima is already the world junior record-holder in the 400 IM, and is clearly the heir apparent to Japan’s rich medley history.
Only 20 years old himself, Matsushita’s sub-1:56 outing is a positive as he targets the Pan Pacific Championships and Asian Games later this year. The reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 400 IM, Matsushita has become a force in the shorter medley over the past year. His time on Saturday night was just off his personal best in the 200 IM, which sits at 1:55.60.
The men’s 100 freestyle featured a reversal of the finishing order in the 200 free, as Katsuhiro Matsumoto edged Tatsuya Murasa, 48.27 to 48.43. A day earlier, Murasa topped Matsumoto over four laps.
Adding to her earlier triumph in the 100 butterfly, veteran Rikako Ikee went 25.55 to finish first in the 50 fly, and Rio Shirai won the 200 backstroke in 2:10.82. In other action, Nigisa Ikemoto won the women’s 100 freestyle in 54.84 while Katomi Kato beat the field in the 200 breaststroke, with her 2:24.29 just ahead of the 2:24.40 of Satomi Suzuki. In the men’s 200 backstroke, Hidekazu Takehara was quickest, going 1:55.57.