2016 Japanese Olympic Trials Day 1 Finals Recap

2016 JAPAN SWIM (JAPANESE OLYMPIC TRIALS)

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Semi-final

  • Japanese National Record – 57.56, Rikako Ikee (2015)
  • JPN Olympic Standard – 57.77
  • Tonight’s Top 3 –
    • Rikako Ikee 57.55 (new NR and new WJR)
    • Natsumi Hoshi 58.84
    • Suzuka Hasegawa 58.91

After registering an impressive 58.14 in prelims, teenager Rikako Ikee rocked a monster of a swim in finals, stopping the clock at 57.55 for a new Japanese National Record. Splitting 27.15/30.40, Ikee was able to shave .01 of a second off her previous record from the World Cup in Tokyo last fall.

At just 15 years old, Ikee’s time this morning ranks as the 6th-fastest swim in the world this season, further positioning the phenom as one to watch headed into Rio. Reminder – this is just semi-finals….we still have one more 100m butterfly swim for the women tomorrow night.

Of note, the 200m butterfly World Champion Natsumi Hoshi was the runner-up seed tonight, clocking a 58.84. Another 15-year-old, Suzuka Hasegawa, took the 3rd seed in 58.91. The top 3 swimmers were the only sub-59 athletes of the field, however, Ikee was the only competitor to register a time beneath the Japanese Olympic-qualifying mark of 57.77 so far.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Semi-final

  • Japanese National Record – 58.90, Kosuke Kitajima (2012)
  • JPN Olympic Standard – 59.63
  • Tonight’s Top 3 –
    • Kosuke Kitajima 59.62
    • Yasuhiro Koseki 1:00.09
    • Ryo Tateishi 1:00.67

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, 33-year-old Kosuke Kitajima led the semi-final field, scoring a time of 59.62 to slide under the Japanese Olympic standard by .01 of a second. Kitajima, who was twice Olympic gold medalist in this event in 2004 and 2008, opened with a 27.95, then closed with a 31.67 to register the only sub-minute mark of the evening’s field.

Kitajima’s effort now positions him as the 4th-fastest man in the world this season, with one more 100m breaststroke race to go in Tokyo. Of his swim, Kitajima said, “I wanted a slightly quicker time, but it’s been a while since I swam 59-something. I feel this is a reward for all the hard work I’ve put in. I’d still like to set a personal best again in the final.”

2015-2016 LCM Men 100 BREAST

AdamGBR
PEATY
08/07
57.13 *WR*OR
2Cameron
VAN DER BURGH
RSA58.6908/07
3Cody
MILLER
USA58.8708/07
4Yasuhiro
KOSEKI
JPN58.9108/06
5Kevin
CORDES
USA58.9406/26
View Top 26»

Right on the minute-border, is Yasuhiro Koseki, who touched in 1:00.09 after earning a 1:00.12 in prelims. The man actually holds the world’s 6th-swiftest mark in the event so far this season after taking the event at February’s Kanomi Open in 59.67. Koseki may very well be doing bare minimum to get through to the finals before unleashing a fierce swim.

Men’s 400 IM – Final

The final of the men’s 400m IM was all Kosuke Hagino, as the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in the event cranked out a huge 4:08.90 to notch the only sub-4:10 swim of the field. Hagino rocked a 4:09.80 in prelims, the 21-year-old now owns the 3 fastest times of 2016.  His swim would have earned the silver medal at last year’s World Championships.

2015-2016 LCM Men 400 IM

KosukeJPN
HAGINO
08/06
4.06.05
2Chase
KALISZ
USA4.06.7508/06
3Daiya
SETO
JPN4.08.4708/06
4Jay
LITHERLAND
USA4.11.0206/26
5Thomas
FRASER-HOLMES
AUS4.11.0904/07
View Top 26»

Surprising, however, is the fact that Hagino’s partner-in-400IM-crime, Daiya Seto, wasn’t able to throw down a swifter time than his silver medal-winning 4:13.52. Heading into the meet, the 2015 World Champion held a season-best of 4:08.50 from Kazan, a time that would have earned the silver medal in London. Seto’s fastest since, however, is the 4:12.10 he scored in September and now this 4:13.52 mark to keep him above the 4:10 line over the season.

The former performance, however, sits beneath the 4:12.24 Japanese-dictated Olympic-qualifying mark, so that, paired with the fact Seto is reigning World Champion in the event, means Seto should be safe to earn his berth on his nation’s Rio roster.

Men’s 400 Freestyle – Final

  • Japanese National Record – 3:43.90, Kosuke Hagino (2014)
  • JPN Olympic Standard – 3:46.53
  • The Podium –
    • Naito Ehara 3:47.43
    • Yousuke Miyamoto 3:48.42
    • Tsubasa Amai 3:50.87

This has been a successful another event for Hagino in the past and he actually owns the world’s 7th-fastest time in the event this season with the 3:47.61 at the Konami Open in February. But, Hagino and his coach, Norimasa Hirai, opted out of including this in his Olympic repertoire, focusing on just the 400m IM on day 1 of trials and, eventually, in Rio. As such, the 400m free field is wide open for anyone to claim the 3:46.53 Japanese Olympic-qualifying time tonight in finals.

Enter Naito Ehara. Ehara made a name for himself already this year, having scored a new Japanese National Record in the short course version of this event (3:38.54) and earned the gold tonight by a full second over the field. The mark moved Ehara past Hagino in the world rankings, now positioned as the 6th-fastest of the season.

2015-2016 LCM Men 400 Free

MackAUS
HORTON
08/06
3.41.55
2Sun
YANG
CHN3.41.6808/06
3Conor
DWYER
USA3.43.4208/06
4Gabriele
DETTI
ITA3.43.4908/06
5Connor
JAEGER
USA3.43.7906/26
View Top 26»

As effective as the swim was in getting Ehara to the top of the podium in the context of tonight’s final, the mark falls short of the Japanese Olympic-qualifying standard of 3:46.53 and, therefore, may not be enough to garner the 22-year-old a ticket to Rio.

Women’s 400 IM – Final

  • Japanese National Record – 4:35.04, Sakiko Shimizu (2016)
  • JPN Olympic Standard – 4:36.88
  • The Podium –
    • Miho Takahashi 4:35.55
    • Sakiko Shimizu 4:36.68
    • Yui Ohhashi 4:37.33

Japanese National Record Holder in the event, Sakiko Shimizu, took a back seat to her 24-year-old teammate tonight, as Miho Takahashi snagged the meet title in a time of 4:35.55. For Takahashi, that time is less than a second off of Shimizu’s Japanese record of 4:35.04 she clocked in just February this year at the Konami Open. She has now qualified for her 2nd straight Olympic appearance.

Shimizu settled for silver, registering a mark of 4:36.68 to barely sneak under the Japanese OLY standard of 4:36.88.

The two women are now positioned as the 4th and 5th-fastest swimmers in the event so far this season.

2015-2016 LCM Women 400 IM

KatinkaHUN
HOSSZU
08/06
4.26.36*WR
2Maya
DiRADO
USA4.31.1508/06
3Mireia
BELMONTE
ESP4.32.3908/06
4Hannah
MILEY
GBR4.32.5408/06
5Elizabeth
BEISEL
USA4.33.5505/13
View Top 26»

Women’s 400 Freestyle – Final

  • Japanese National Record – 4:05.19, Ai Shibata (2007)
  • JPN Olympic Standard – 4:05.49
  • The Podium –
    • Chihiro Igarashi 4:09.70
    • Tsudumi Hasegawa 4:14.22
    • Asari Wada 4:14.25

Wrapping up tonight’s competition was Chihiro Igarashi, who topped the podium in the women’s 400m freestyle. After earning a time of 4:12.86 in prelims, Igarashi was able to slice another 3 seconds off her mark and score gold in 4:09.70, the only sub-4:10 time of the final. However, with the JPN Olympic standard sitting at 4:05.49, Igarashi is a ways off where her nation expected an Olympic roster swimmer to be. And, rightly so, as a female needs to be in the 4:06-range to even register in the world’s top 10 in the event before most countries’ trials have even started.

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Tm
7 years ago

I don’t think lochte will swim the 400 IM. Kalisz and prenot will probably make the us team. I don’t think either can swim 407-408 to challenge hagino. Seto’s time is no where near what he swam at the last two worlds.

Crawler
Reply to  Tm
7 years ago

The young Brazilian Brandon de Almeida has been under the radar so far. He is good and will be at home.

thomaslurzfan
7 years ago

400/800 free on the womens side still looks very weak. Ikee might reach the olympic final at 500/100 free on the other hand. Japan has no problems in all other events on the womens side, maybe except for backstroke. On the mens side 100 fly and freestyle (without Hagino) are probably their weakest events. In general its very interesting that Asia isnt that good in freestyle, maybe they have a “size problem”? On the womens side they probably have no medal contenders, on the mens side they have 2 chinese swimmers who were already caught doping and Hagino who will only swim 200 free.

thomaslurzfan
Reply to  thomaslurzfan
7 years ago

Sorry, i wanted to say: Ikee might reach the olympic final at 50/100 free

paolo
7 years ago

@Hkswimmer: it could be, but I would be very surprised if Hagino, knowing his nearly religious commitment and swimming devotion, deliberately slew down in the free. Hagino is certainly capable of tremendous finishes in the 400 im, but today it took the race out very quick, and so it is another story even for him.
At Barcelona2013, he struggled at the end of 400im and the fatigue of all the races he had swum earlier was certainly a factor, but today Hagino was fresh and, I think, he still has showed some troubles to close the 400im when he starts really fast.
We have also to consider last year Hagino’s injury, certainly.
Come 4 months, in Rio,… Read more »

Shibly
7 years ago

i dont think Hagino is the clear favorite in RIO as Ryan Lochte will give him a good run for the gold…

Rafael
Reply to  Shibly
7 years ago

If Locthe actually swims it, Lotche went 4:12 and almost died of fatigue..

swimdoc
Reply to  Rafael
7 years ago

It’s nice to have a 3 second cushion to be off of your best time and still beat Hagino.

Calswimfan
Reply to  Shibly
7 years ago

I think Chase Kalisz has a good shot also, no?

ML
Reply to  Calswimfan
7 years ago

I’d expect Prenot to be under 4:10 as well. Hagino may be experimenting with going out faster to improve his time. He may have hit a wall on that free leg.

swimdoc
7 years ago

Good for Katijima, dolphin kicks and all. Not bad for 33.

Rafael
Reply to  swimdoc
7 years ago

Dolphin Kick and no DQ? Is Kitajima Cody Miller hero?

swimdoc
Reply to  Rafael
7 years ago

No, I think it’s the other way around. Katijima was the first two win Olympic gold with extra dolphin kicks. Then van den Berg. Miller’s trying to emulate them.

hkswimmer
7 years ago

@Paolo – I think you’ve hit the nail on the head except for the fact that I think Hagino deliberately slowed it down coming home.

We’re talking about someone who owns the fastest 400IM closing freestyle in history, a 55-point from the Asian Games. That’s faster than Phelps in Beijing 2008, who went 56+. He’s demonstrated that he can take it out quick, and there was no need to kill himself coming home as it was clearly going to be enough and he was miles ahead of everyone else anyway.

Ikee is a beast. And Kosuke Kitajima what a legend.

RandomJapanesePerson
7 years ago

Seto already qualified for Rio by being the world champion. They informed him in an interview after the championship race.

paolo
7 years ago

Come on guys, you can do a lot better in your comments! 🙂
Today is a nice day for a Usa great swimmer with Ryan as first name :-).
Hagino in the final has certainly sought the great time (54.65 after the fly, 1.57.23 at mid-race), but has finally slown down (59.94 to close the race): the usual difficulty to swim a balanced 400 im also for a swimmer, like Hagino, who has great endurance and at least a 3.44 in the 400 free in him.
Also under what expected the performance of double World champion Dayia Seto.

On the contrary, no disappointment from Rikako Ikee. She’s still 15 and going on in her steady improving path.

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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