Shin Ohashi Pops Asian Record in the Short-Course 200 Breaststroke; Tomoyuki Matsushita Also Breaks Continental Mark
Fresh off a world record in the long-course version of the 200-meter breaststroke, 17-year-old Japanese star Shin Ohashi notched the second-fastest time in history in the short-course edition of the event. Competing at the Japanese Championships, Ohashi clocked an Asian record of 2:00.12. Only Caspar Corbeau, the Dutchman who holds the world record (1:59.52), has been faster than Ohashi. Ohashi’s time is also a world junior record.
Ohashi actually needed every bit of that Asian standard, as runnerup honors went to another teenager, Yusei Imaizumi, who touched the wall in 2:00.26. That time from Imaizumi makes him the No. 4 performer of all-time. Earlier in the meet, Imaizumi set a world junior record in the 100 breaststroke, going 55.82.
The fact that Ohashi delivered the No. 2 mark in history was hardly surprising, given that he set a world record in the 200 breaststroke (LC) while capturing gold at last month’s Asian Games. There, Ohashi covered four laps in 2:04.83 to become the first man to crack the 2:05 barrier. His effort in the short-course 200 breaststroke was a logical progression, as he took a second off his previous best of 2:01.24.
In the 200 individual medley, Tomoyuki Matsushita continued his roll. A day after setting a world record in the 400 IM, Matsushita broke the Asian record at half the distance. Matsushita posted a swim of 1:50.42, which cut .05 the previous record, set by Kosuke Hagino in 2014.