2018 JAPAN SWIM (JAPANESE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS)
- Tuesday, April 3rd – Sunday, April 8th
- Tatsumi International Swim Centre, Tokyo, Japan
- LCM
- Selection meet for Asian Games, Pan Pacific Championships, Jr. Pan Pacific Championships & Youth Olympics
- Meet Site
- SwimSwam Preview
- Start Lists
- Live Results
As predicted, the 2018 Japan Swim is a fast one, with the nation’s best swimmers out in force to qualify for this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships. Right off the bat in this morning’s prelims, Satomi Suzuki raced her way to a new national record in the women’s 50m breaststroke, clocking 30.64 to take the top seed.
Reminiscent of now-retired teammate Rie Kaneto, who scored a new national record and, ultimately a gold medal in Rio in the 200 at 27 years of age, Suzuki herself is 27, but shows no signs of slowing down. Her time this morning shaved .02 off of the previous NR mark of 30.66 and crushed her own previous personal best of 30.95 from last year in Budapest.
Suzuki is now ranked within the world’s top 5 in the event this season, prior to the Commonwealth Games results.
2017-2018 LCM WOMEN 50 BREAST
KING
29.62
View Top 26»2 Yuliya
EFIMOVARUS 29.66 08/08 3 Molly
HANNISUSA 29.71 01/13 4 Laura Sofia
MELO BARRERAESP 29.92 07/25 5 Imogen
CLARKGBR 30.04 08/08
Also pacing quickly in their respective events were national record holders Rikako Ikee and Kosuke Hagino. Ikee blasted a wicked-fast 57.14 100m butterfly in her morning heat to claim the top seed in the only time under the 59-second mark. Hagino snatched the 2nd seed in the men’s 400m freestyle behind Taketomo Tani, with the pair separated by just over half a second in 3:50.70 and 3:50.08, respectively.
For Ikee, the 17-year-old now moves up to place 3rd in the world behind some exclusive company in Sarah Sjostrom and Emma McKeon.
2017-2018 LCM WOMEN 100 FLY
IKEE
56.08
2 | Sarah SJOESTROEM | SWE | 56.13 | 08/04 |
3 | Kelsi DAHLIA | USA | 56.44 | 08/11 |
4 | Emma McKEON | AUS | 56.54 | 08/11 |
5 | Madeline GROVES | AUS | 57.19 | 04/06 |
In the men’s 100m backstroke, the dynamic duo of Ryosuke Irie and Junya Koga are set to go head-to-head with the men clocking the only sub-54 second times of the field. Irie touched in 53.25 to Koga’s 53.60.
Additionally, the just-off-suspension Yasuhiro Koseki clinched the men’s 100m breaststroke top seed in 59.82 as the only swimmer this morning to notch a time under the minute barrier.