101st JAPAN SWIM
- Thursday, March 19th – Sunday, March 22nd
- Tokyo Aquatics Center
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview
- Live Results
The 101st Japan Swim kicked off with a major bang, as 17-year-old Shin Ohashi ripped a new lifetime best, Japanese national record and World Junior record in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
After posting a super solid morning outing of 59.57 to lead the domestic pack out of the heats, Ohashi dropped nearly a second to check in with a gold medal-worthy result of 58.67.
That represented the sole swim of the final to clear the 59-second barrier, with Reo Okura and Yu Hanaguruma touching simultaneously in 59.76 to share the silver.
As for Ohashi, the teen opened in 27.50 and closed in 31.17 to get the job done, posting the second sub-59-second time of his career.
His previous PB and WJR stood at the 58.94 put up last summer at the All Kinki High School Swimming Championships to become the first-ever junior swimmer to score a sub-59-second mark. That means Ohashi dropped a significant .27 en route to topping tonight’s podium.
It was at that same competition that the rising star clocked a WJR in the 200m breast, delivering a head-turning time of 2:06.91.
Split Comparison
| Ohashi’s Old WJR – 58.94 | Ohashi’s New WJR – 58.67 |
| 27.33 | 27.50 |
| 31.61 | 31.17 |
The former Japanese national record entering this competition rested at the 58.78 retired Olympian Yasuhiro Koseki put on the books in 2018.
Top 5 Japanese Men’s LCM 100 Breaststroke Performers All-Time
- Shin Ohashi – 58.67, 2026
- Yasuhiro Koseki – 58.78, 2018
- Kosuke Kitajima – 58.90, 2012
- Shoma Sato – 59.18, 2021
- Yamato Fukasawa – 59.24, 2025
Ohashi’s effort would have won the gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, easily dipping under the 59.03 Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi logged for the victory. Ohashi also would have landed on the 2025 World Championships podium, beating Kyrgyzstan’s Denis Petrashov who clocked 58.88 as the bronze medalist behind winner Qin Haiyang of China (58.23) and silver medalist Martinenghi (58.58).
Ohashi now ranks as the 15th-best performer in history and he takes over the #1 slot worldwide on the season, dethroning Qin. That may be a bit of foreshadowing of what may transpire at this year’s Asian Games, for which this Japan Swim is the selection competition.
2025-2026 LCM Men 100 BREAST
Mathias
58.01
| 2 | Dong Zhihao | CHN | 58.57 | 06/17 |
| 3 | SHIN OHASHI | JPN | WJR 58.67 | 03/19 |
| 4 | Simone CERASUOLO | ITA | 58.82 | 04/15 |
| 5 | Ivan Kozhakin | RUS | 58.91 | 04/20 |
Reflecting on his performance, Ohashi said post-race, “I think my first high-altitude training camp overseas had an effect.
“I was happy, but I was also a little disappointed because the time was different from what I expected. I still want to get a faster time. I’ll aim for first place in both the 50m and 200m, and I’ll do my best to achieve my personal best and a new Japanese record [in those events].” (NTV News)
And he is like 15-20 cm shorter. 168cm. amazing.
Meanwhile our Aussie men can barely crack 1:00min no matter how hard they try.. let alone 59 seconds barrier..
Qin Haiyung is shaking in his boots 🥶
Wait till he sees Campbell mckean
The Japanese selection criteria can be described as stupid. Men’s 400 freestyle, with two 3:45.84, was fast enough, and the result did not reach the 3:44.33 set by the Japan Swimming Federation.I saw their results today, Only Shin Ohashi faster than criteria.
Dude is dropping time like a normal 17 y.o.
WR watch 200 breast????
there better be a video
He has a shot of becoming the youngest swimmer to go under 58 seconds which is crazy another full year to break WJR’s