17th Tokyo Swimming Championships: Mizuki Hirai Rips 56.74 100 Fly

17th TOKYO SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, June 6th – Sunday, June 8th
• Tokyo Aquatics Centre
• LCM (50m)
• Results

The 17th Tokyo Swimming Championships kicked off yesterday from the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, site of swimming action at the 2020 Olympic Games.

Already through the first two days, we’ve seen several impressive performances put up at the hands of World Championships-bound athletes as they prepare for Singapore.

Among them was a notable victory in the men’s 1500m freestyle by 18-year-old Kazushi Imafuku.

The teen stopped the clock at a rapid mark of 14:58.36 to establish a new tournament record and reap the sole time of the field under the 15:00 barrier.

Kaito Tabuchi was next to the wall in 15:01.12 while Hibiki Nakayama rounded out the podium in 15:15.83.

As for Imafuku, his 14:58.36 outing represented the 2nd-fastest time of his young career, sitting only behind the 14:50.18 Japanese national record he put on the books at the Japan Swim in March to rank 7th in the world this season. Entering that competition, Imafuku’s lifetime best rested at the 14:59.97 he logged en route to winning gold at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships.

For perspective, Imafuku’s time of 14:58.36 would have placed 3rd at the U.S. National Championships, which are taking place this week in Indiana.

Olympic silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita was in the water at this competition as well, taking on his pet event of the men’s 400m IM.

The 19-year-old ripped a time of 4:08.71 to win the event in the sole time of the field under the 4:10 threshold, notching a new tournament record in the process.

Gasa Nishikawa claimed silver in 4:10.80 while Takumi Mori earned bronze in 4:16.45.

Matsushita has already been as fast as 4:08.61 this season, a time he produced for gold at the World Championships qualifying Japan Swim in March. That slightly quicker outing rendered him the world’s 4th-best performer this season. The fact that he’s already within that range at this in-season competition is a huge boost to his potential medal-taking possibilities in Singapore.

A new meet record was also established in the women’s 50m backstroke, as Miki Takahashi secured the victory with a winning effort of 28.24.

That beat the field by nearly a second, with Ryoko Kamei next to the wall in 29.04, followed closely by Tomoko Takeba, who bagged bronze in 29.05.

Takahashi’s performance was within striking distance of her personal best, a time of 27.84 logged in the heats at the 2023 World Championships to become Japan’s #2 performer in history. Only national record holder Aya Terakawa had been faster, courtesy of the 27.51 thrown down in 2013.

Continuing her momentum from the 2024 Olympic Games, 34-year-old veteran Satomi Suzuki fired off a head-turning time of 1:06.00 in the prelims of the women’s 100m breaststroke.

Suzuki opened in 30.66 and closed in 25.34 to claim the top seed, establishing the 2nd-best time of her storied career. Only her PB of 1:05.91 from last year had been quicker.

Ultimately, Suzuki won gold here in 1:06.91, with Reona Aoki claiming silver in 1:07.37 Katomi Kato also landing on the podium in 1:07.86 for bronze.

Suzuki’s near-lifetime best now checks her in as the world’s 7th-swiftest performer this season.

Hidekazu Takehara ripped a new lifetime best of 1:55.79 on his way to topping the men’s 200m backstroke podium.

Entering these Tokyo Swimming Championships, the 21-year-old had never before been under the 1:56 barrier, owning a career-swiftest performance of 1:56.05 from last September’s Japanese Student Championships

Here, Takehara split 56.56/59.23 to get the job done, beating the field by well over a second.

Kodai Nishiono earned silver in 1:57.43 followed by Taisei Murakami, who secured bronze in 2:00.04.

As for Takehara, his new PB makes him Japan’s 4th-best performer ever. He now ranks 9th in the world on the season and would have placed 5th at the U.S. National Championships.

Top 5 Japanese Men’s LCM 200 Backstroke Performers All-Time

1. Ryosuke Irie – 1:52.51, 2009
2. Kosuke Hagino – 1:54.23, 2014
3. Keita Sunama – 1:55.54, 2018
4. Hidekazu Takehara – 1:55.79, 2025
5. Yuki Shirai – 1:56.26, 2011

University of Tennessee commit Mizuki Hirai made her presence known in the women’s 100m fly, clocking a new tournament record of 56.74 to take the gold in spades.

Hirai split 26.46/30.28 en route to beating he pack by nearly 2 seconds.

Runner-up status went to Hiroko Makino who touched in 58.36 followed by Tomoyasu Mizuguchi who rounded out the podium in 59.34.

Hirai’s 56.74 laid waste to her previous season-best of 56.99 produced for gold at the Japanese World Championships Trials. It was within striking distance of her career-quickest outing of 56.33 notched at the 2024 Japanese Meet Yokohama to become her nation’s #2 performer in history. Only Rikako Ikee has been faster, owning the Japanese national record at the 56.08 logged at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.

Hirai’s performance here now ranks her 4th in the world entering next month’s World Championships. And, this in-season performance would have had Hirai claim 4th at the U.S. Nationals, just for additional perspective.

Finally, rising Japanese freestyle ace Tatsuya Murasa impressed again with a solid swim of 1:46.34 in the men’s 200m freestyle.

The 18-year-old turned in a time of 1:46.34 to log a new tournament record and earn the gold nearly 2 seconds ahead of his competitors.

Konosuke Yanagimoto touched in 1:48.22 for silver and Hayate Ogata rounded out the podium in 1:48.46.

Murasa put up a time of 1:45.67 at the Japan Swim to qualify for the World Championships and check in as the world’s 13th-best performer this season.