2023 Japan Open Day 4: Watanabe Clocks 2:07.70 200 Breast, Woodward Logs 1:55.56 200 Back

2023 JAPAN OPEN

• Thursday, November 30th – Sunday, December 3rd
• Tokyo Aquatics Center
• LCM (50m)
• Entries (in Japanese)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Live Results

The 2023 Japan Open wrapped up from Tokyo with several key swims highlighting the final day of action of the 4-day competition.

We reported how 24-year-old Australian Matt Temple clocked a new Australian, Oceanic and Commonwealth Record of 50.25 in the men’s 100m fly. That sliced .20 off of his previous lifetime best of 50.45 from 2 years ago to rank #1 in the world at present.

• Aussie Matt Temple Rips 50.25 100 Fly Oceanic Record at Japan Open

Down under teammate Bradley Woodward also topped the podium in his 200m backstroke event this evening.

The 25-year-old Olympian got to the wall in a time of 1:55.56 to beat the field by over 2 seconds. His result represents a nice new personal best for the Mingara athlete, dropping nearly half a second off of his previous PB of 1:55.95 from this year’s Australian World Championship Trials.

Woodward opened his race in 56.22 and closed in 59.34 to froghop Ash Delaney and become the 3rd-fastest Australian performer in history.

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

1. Mitch Larkin – 1:53.17, 2015
2. Joshua Edwards-Smith – 1:55.42, 2022
3. Bradley Woodward – 1:55.56, 2023
4. Ash Delaney – 1:55.82, 2009
5. Joshua Beaver – 1:56.19, 2014

Woodward also ranks #1 in the world this season, holding the only time under the 1:56 threshold thus far.

Both the men’s and women’s 200m breaststroke brought some heated performances, first with former World Record holder Ippei Watanabe in the men’s race.

26-year-old Watanabe crushed a time of 2:07.70 to handily defeat the field by well over a second, splitting 1:01.28/1:06.42 in the process. His result here destroyed the 2:09.91 he logged for bronze at this year’s Asian Games and ranks him #2 in the world this season.

As for the women, it was 27-year-old Kanako Watanabe who clocked her fastest time in several years, producing a result of 2:23.66 for gold.

The 2015 world champion logged splits of 1:09.56/1:14.10 to get the edge over Australia’s Matilda Smith and her countrymate Mina Nakazawa. Smith posted 2:24.34 and Nakazawa notched 2:26.13.

Watanabe now ranks 6th in the world this season.

Post-race, she said, “I haven’t been able to race the way I wanted to in the past two or three years. I feel relieved…I’m glad that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off. I wanted to head into the year of the Paris Olympics in good shape.” (Daily Japan)

Of note, 18-year-old Smith of Miami registered a big-time personal best with her silver medal-worthy 2:24.34.

Entering this Japan Open, her career-quickest rested at the 2:26.17 produced at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships, so she knocked just under 2 seconds off that previous PB.

That continues the trend of Aussie breaststroke having a breakout meet, as evidenced by Sam Williamson‘s new Aussie Record in the 50m breast (26.51) and Ella Ramsay hitting a PB of 1:07.77 in the 100m breast.

Additional Notes

• The women’s 50m free saw Mayuka Yamamoto clock a time of 25.34 for the gold.
• Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers beat the men’s 50m free field, registering a result of 22.12 to top the podium.
• 16-year-old Mio Narita collected her 3rd gold of this Japan Open, adding the women’s 200m back victory to her wins in the 200m IM and 400m IM. Narita hit a time of 2:10.84 to get to the wall first for 2back gold.
• Natsuki Hiroshita hit a time of 57.87 to beat Chiharu Itsuka by the narrowest of margins in the women’s 100m fly. Itsuka settled for silver in 57.88 and Ai Soma was right behind in 58.00 for bronze. Aussie 200m fly World Championships silver medalist Elizabeth Dekkers placed 5th in 58.38.