Yui Ohashi Cruises to 400 IM Gold With World’s Fastest Time at Pan Pacs

Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

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Japan’s Yui Ohashi, swimming in her home country, swam the fastest time of 2018 on Thursday night in Tokyo in the 400 IM. Ohashi opened her Pan Pacs with a 4:33.77, moving past Italy’s Ilaria Cusinato in the world rankings as the Italian was a 4:34.65 earlier in the summer.

Ohashi held off a charging Melanie Margalis for the gold as the American settled for silver at 4:35.60, splitting a 1:01 her last 100 compared to Ohashi’s 1:04. Margalis was a tenth faster at US Nationals a couple weeks ago.

Margalis’s swim was not enough for a World Championship berth as she was slightly slower than Ally McHugh and Brooke Forde from the US Nationals. Forde finished fourth here in Tokyo with a 4:39.22.

Japan’s Sakiko Shimizu finished with the bronze with a 4:36.27, after being in silver medal position for the majority of the race.

Canada’s Emily Overholdt (4:39.48), Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson (4:40.22), China’s Ye Huiyan (4:52.40) and the Philippines’ Chloe Isleta (4:58.81) also competed in the final.

2018 World Rankings:

Yui Ohashi, JPN, 4:33.77
Ilaria Cusinato, ITA, 4:34.65
Fantine Lesaffre, FRA, 4:34.71
Ally McHugh, USA, 4:34.80
Aimee Willmott, GBR, 4:34.90
Brooke Forde, USA, 4:35.09
Hannah Miley, GBR, 4:35.16
Melanie Margalis, USA, 4:35.50

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