Olympic finalist Yasuhiro Koseki of Japan has decided to hang up his goggles, announcing his retirement from competitive swimming at the age of 30.
“I have decided to retire,” the national record holder posted on social media today, November 1st.
“Actually, I decided a little while ago. In March I had surgery on my right arm, which had been hurting for a long time. I was scheduled to come back around July or August, but rehab was taking a long time. Then, in September, I found myself ill and was having a tough time both mentally and physically.”
Although he never made it onto the podium, Koseki finaled in both the men’s 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the 2016 Olympic Games. He placed 6th in the 100m (59.37) and 5th in the 200m (2:07.80) there in Rio.
A year later he would take silver in the 200m breast at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, followed by gold in the 100m breast at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. He ended 2018 as the 1breast bronze medalist at the FINA Short Course World Championships.
Koseki was still a medal contender at the 2019 FINA World Championships, placing 4th in the 100m breast, just .30 off the podium.
Koseki missed out on the 2020 Olympic team for Japan but retires as the nation’s record holder in the 50m and 100m long course breaststroke events, owning lifetime bests of 26.94 and 58.78 from 2018.
He also remains as the nation’s fastest-ever short course 50m breaststroker, setting the Japanese standard at 25.91 just last year.
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Had a chance to meet him in person after the Japanese championships a while back when I was visiting family. Very nice guy with an incredible career.
one of my favorites to watch race. congrats on a career of international excellence