Youngster to Watch: Yumeki Kojima Maintaining Japanese Medley Tradition
A decade ago, Kosuke Hagino captured Olympic gold in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. From 2013 through 2024, Daiya Seto collected six medals at the World Championships in the 400 IM, highlighted by a trio of titles. These days, Tomoyuki Matsushita is a sensation in the event, having recently broken the Asian record in the 400 medley, thanks to a time of 4:05.83.
Yumeki Kojima might be the next star.
Heading into this month’s Asian Games on home soil, Kojima is the world junior record holder in the 400 individual medley, behind the 4:08.69 he logged at the recent Pan Pacific Championships. That performance marked Kojima’s second trip inside 4:09, as he previously established the WJR at 4:08.84. The 17-year-old is unquestionably on an upward trajectory, his talent in the longer medley complemented by world-class skill in the 200 IM and 200 backstroke.
Pan Pacs offered Kojima the chance to gather valuable experience on a major international stage, and he took advantage of the situation. The youngster won gold in the 200 backstroke, going 1:55.38 for one of the fastest 18-and-under performances in history. More, he went 1:56.82 in the 200 medley to finish fourth, .17 behind Australian William Petric and leaving Kojima just off the podium.
As for the 400 IM, Kojima’s WJR was part of an intriguing storyline on the second day of the Pan Pacific Champs. The 4:08.69 managed by Kojima in prelims was matched by countryman Asaki Nishikawa, necessitating a swimoff between the athletes for the second Japanese position in the final. Ultimately, Nishikawa was able to bounce back in stronger form to win the head-to-head showdown, sending Kojima to the consolation final. A third competitive 400 IM was too demanding for Kojima at night, as he placed third, well off his best. Nonetheless, the grit exhibited by Kojima, and how he performed in his ensuing events, spoke to his upside.
As one of the fastest juniors of all-time in three events, Kojima will have plenty of program options on the way to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the moment, Kojima is his country’s No. 1 in the 200 backstroke, and his path to the next Games in that event seems smooth. The medley events, however, are a different story. Japan is stacked with depth, particularly in the 400 IM, and Trials in the longer medley figure to be gauntlet.
What Kojima produces at the Asian Games will provide the latest checkpoint on his development, and next year’s World Championships in Budapest will act as a test run for Los Angeles. Kojima looks positioned to threaten the 1:55 barrier in the 200 backstroke and push for 1:55 in the 200 IM and 4:07 in the 400 IM. Those are certainly times that would make the teenager someone to watch closely during the back half of the Quad.