48th ALL JUNIOR JUNIOR OLYMPIC SPRING COMPETITION
- Thursday, March 26th – Monday, March 30th
- Chiba International Swimming Pool
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Results
There is simply no stopping Japan’s Shin Ohashi as of late, with the 17-year-old dynamo producing yet another World Junior Record, this time in short course meters.
While racing on the penultimate night of action at the 48th All Junior Olympic (JOC) Spring Competition on his home turf, Ohashi crushed a lifetime best of 2:01.24 to win the men’s 200m breaststroke.
Ohashi’s performance handily defeated his competitors, with Yusei Imaizumi next to the wall over three seconds behind in 2:04.80, followed by Hayato Yamazaki who touched in 2:05.54.
As for Ohashi, tonight’s effort represents his first-ever foray under the 2:02 barrier, destroying his own previous World Junior Record of 2:02.03 notched just last October at the Toronto stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup series.
Comparing his previous WJR to tonight’s stunner, Ohashi was quicker from start to finish, including a final 50m of 32.19 to seal the deal.
Split Comparison
| Shin Ohashi, 2026 – JOC Spring Competition | Shin Ohashi, 2025 – World Cup, Toronto Stop | |
| 50 | 27.01 | 27.22 |
| 100 | 57.59 (30.58) | 57.98 (30.76) |
| 150 | 1:29.05 (31.46) | 1:29.58 (31.60) |
| 200 | 2:01.24 (32.19) | 2:02.03 (32.45) |
Ohashi now checks in as the 8th-fastest performer in history worldwide and the 3rd-swiftest Asian of all time.
Top 10 Men’s SCM 200 Breaststroke Performers All-Time
- Caspar Corbeau (NED) – 1:59.52, 2025
- Kirill Prigoda (RUS) – 2:00.16, 2018
- Daiya Seto (JPN) – 2:00.35, 2022
- Marco Koch (GER) – 2:00.44, 2016
- Daniel Gyurta (HUN) – 2:00.48, 2014
- Carles Coll Marti (ESP) – 2:00.86, 2025
- Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2:01.15, 2018
- Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 2:01.24, 2026
- Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2:01.43, 2020 & Michael Jamieson (GBR) – 2:01.43, 2013
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This caliber of performance is par for the course with Ohashi. Throughout last year and into 2026, the prodigy has fired off monster swims, which, along with the likes of young teammates Kazushi Imafuku, Tatsuya Murasa and Tomoyuki Matsushita, are putting the world on notice that, after a few years in a slump, Japan is once again on the rise.
Shin Ohashi‘s Lifetime Bests
| LCM | SCM | |
| 50 Breast | 26.98 | 26.25 |
| 100 Breast | 58.67, WJR | 56.79 |
| 200 Breast | 2:06.59, WJR | 2:01.24, WJR |
Ohashi has been named to Japan’s Pan Pacific Championships roster and the lineup for this year’s Asian Games taking place in his home country.
And 168-9 cm tall. Just turned 17 earlier this month.
He also split 55.0 in the medley relay which I think is the craziest of them all.
I feel bad for 2nd place, being 2009 swimming a 2:04 and only getting silver
Genuinely hoping at some point while on this streak he comes to the U.S. and see what he could do in yards. Idk if he’s planning on doing the NCAA but I’d certainly think he’d be a slam dunk for whoever he would go to
Why do people keep saying this?
The world does not care about yards. Someone wanted McEvoy to swim yards last week too. I don’t think you understand how much it is meaningless to the rest of us.
I’m a sucker for yards but it is a weird thing to see an article on a non-US swimmer and think “man let me see some SCY action!”
Just like Australia! Meaningless
Should go to Tennessee and join the Big Orange.
Hiari is there and doing great!
Cal would make more sense
Seems to me that Shin is “doing great” where he is…..
Unless he wants to specifically pursue an American college education, there’s absolutely no reason for him to go anywhere at the moment
blud is the Popovici of breaststroke