95th WASEDA-KEIO WATER GAMES
- Sunday, July 2nd
- Tokyo Aquatics Center
- LCM (50m)
- Results (in Japanese)
The 95th edition of the Waseda University/Keio University Water Games took place yesterday, with several notable Japanese national teamers taking to the Tokyo Aquatics Center pool.
Among them was Keio graduate Shoma Sato, with the 22-year-old posting the quickest time in the men’s 200m breast.
Sato stopped the clock in a time of 2:11.30 while Yu Hanaguruma was the next-swiftest in 2:11.90.
Sato qualified for this month’s World Championships with the 2:08.21 he notched to grab runner-up status behind winner Ippei Watanabe at April’s Japan Swim. Watanabe took the title in a mark of 2:07.73, a time he then lowered to a season-best of 2:07.55 at June’s Tokyo Swimming Championships to rank 3rd in the world on the season.
Watanabe was also in the water yesterday, racing the 100m breaststroke. The 26-year-old Waseda alum put up a mark of 1:00.86, with Yamato Fukasawa right behind in 1:00.96.
Katsumi Nakamura clocked a time of 49.22 to register as the quickest 100m freestyler on the day while Nagisa Ikemoto topped the women’s 200m free in a time of 1:58.86.
Ikemoto had competed at the Nihon University/Chuo University dual the previous day, hitting a 2free outing of 1:59.89 at this same venue. The 20-year-old’s personal best checks in at the 1:58.04 notched at the Japan Swim in April, the meet which served as the World Championships Trials.
The women’s 100m fly saw Natsuki Hiroshima top the podium, hitting a time of 58.70. That outing sits just .21 outside of her personal best, a time of 58.49 from this past April which rendered Hiroshima Japnan’s 12th fastest performer in history.
Genki Terrakado produced the swiftest time in the men’s 100m fly, logging 52.38 as the sole competitor under the 53-second threshold.
Terrakado opened in 24.71 and closed in 27.67 to come within striking distance of his best-ever time of 52.07. That PB was put up at the Japan Swim this past April where he placed 6th in the event.
Additional Notes
- Rin Matsuzaki clocked a new meet record en route to winning the women’s 400m free. Matsuzaki hit a time of 4:15.05 to hack over a second off the previous meet mark of 4:17.42. Her outing represents a new lifetime best, beating her previous PB of 4:15.40 produced at the 2022 Japan High School Championships.
- Takumi Terada nabbed the top time in the men’s 200m fly, putting up a result of 1:58.04. Terada posted a new lifetime best of 1:54.81 this past April to place 3rd at Japan’s World Trials.
- Ise Takato downed the meet record in the high school boys’ 100m free. Takato claimed gold in a new lifetime best of 50.83 (24.43/26.40), overtaking the previous mark of 51.39. Entering this meet, Takato’s PB rested at the 51.53 notched at April’s Japan Swim to claim a 43rd-place finish.
- As with Ikemoto, Konosuke Yanagimoto also raced on a second consecutive day. The 19-year-old followed up his 1:48.97 200m free from the Nihon/Chuo dual with a mark of 1:48.92 this time around.
- Maria Imamaki earned a new meet record in the women’s 50m free. She nabbed the top spot in 25.51 to overtake the previous meet mark of 25.66 and fall just .11 shy of her 25.40 PB from October of 2021.
