Shin Ohashi Blasts 2:09.04 200 Breaststroke, Fastest 16-Year-Old Ever

2025 MARE NOSTRUM – Barcelona

• May 21-22, 2025
• Prelims at 8:30am local (2:30am ET)/Finals at 5pm local (11am ET)
• Club Natació Sant Andreu
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets (PDF)
• Live Results
• Live Stream ($)
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

Men’s 200 Breast Final

• World record: 2:05.48 – Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2023
• Mare Nostrum record: 2:07.23 – Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2021
• Barcelona record: 2:07.23 – Arno Kamminga (NED) – 2021
• World Aquatics ‘A’ QT – 2:10.32

1. Kirill Prigoda (NAB) – 2:08.38
2. Shin Ohashi (JAP) – 2:09.04
3. Dawid Wikiera (POL) – 2:12.52

This evening at the Barcelona stop of the 2025 Mare Nostrum series, 16-year-old Shin Ohashi threw down a 2:09.04 200 breaststroke. 

This swim gives the Japanese age-grouper the fastest performance by a 16-year-old in history.

Splits:

28.50/1:01.36 (32.86)/1:35.20 (33.84)/2:09.04 (33.84)

Previously, the fastest 16-year-old mark belonged to Ohashi himself. At Japan nationals in March, he turned in a 2:09.35. At a domestic meet in November, a then-15-year-old Ohashi went 2:09.22, which remained his best time until today.

The fastest 200 breaststroke performance by a 16-year-old not named Shin Ohashi belongs to Josh Matheny. The American clocked a 2:09.40 to capture the World Junior Title in 2019.

This season, Ohashi ranks 7th in the world, but three of the six swimmers ahead of him are his own country mates. He will not compete at the 2025 Worlds in Singapore, but he is sure to be a favorite if he competes at the Junior Worlds in Otopeni.

Looking ahead, Ohashi sits within a second and a half of the fastest time by a 17-year-old: 2:07.57 by a fellow Japanese athlete, Akihiro Yamaguchi, from 2012. The World Junior Record stands at 2:07.35, set in 2017 by China’s Qin Haiyang. Qin went on to set the 2:05.48 world record that stands today in 2023.