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2018 JAPAN OPEN
- Thursday, May 24th – Sunday, May 27th
- Tatsumi International Swimming Centre, Tokyo, Japan
- LCM
- Final selection meet for Asian Games, Pan Pacific Championships & Jr. Pan Pacific Championships
- Meet Site
- SwimSwam Preview
- Results
The 2018 Japan Open kicked off in Tokyo today with the meet representing the 2nd opportunity for national athletes to qualify for a spot on the Pan Pacific Championships roster. The big guns already went to work at the 2018 Japan Swim in April, with 22 names having already been announced on the initial Japanese line-up.Among those competing today in Tokyo was 17-year-old sprint queen Rikako Ikee, who announced her presence with a shiny new national record in the women’s 50m butterfly.
Having notched a less-than-a-month-old mark at April’s Japan Swim, Ikee’s best time entering tonight’s final was 25.43. However, Ikee cranked out a new 50m fly time of 25.25, signaling how the teen continues to chip away at her records each and every time she enters the water. She is also creeping up on world leader Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, who holds the top time in the ranking with a 25.07 from January.
2017-2018 LCM WOMEN 50 FLY
SJOSTROM
25.07
2 | Rikako IKEE | JPN | 25.11 | 06/10 |
3 | Cate CAMPBELL | AUS | 25.47 | 03/01 |
4 | Kelsi DAHLIA | USA | 25.48 | 07/26 |
4 | Farida OSMAN | EGY | 25.48 | 06/24 |
At just 17, Ikee holds her nation’s records across the 50m/100m/200m freestyle events, as well as the 50m/100m fly in the LCM arena in addition to 7 national records in the SCM realm.
Ikee recently changed coaches, now training under the tutelage of Jiro Miki.
It’s goimg to be surreal when Ikee makes it into the 24s and actual challenges Sjostrom, she’s dominated this event for so long.
She could realistically go 55 this summer in the 100.