79th KINKI HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sunday, July 20th – Tuesday, July 22nd
- Kinki High School, Japan
- LCM (50m)
- Results
The second World Junior Record fell in as many days, with both new benchmarks being set by Japanese teenagers at domestic high school meets.
Yesterday, we saw 16-year-old Yumeki Kojima of Japan blast a lifetime best of 4:09.38 to score a new World Junior Record in the 400m IM.
Today, fellow 16-year-old Shin Ohashi fired off a monster personal best and new World Junior Record of 2:06.91 in the 200m breaststroke.
Racing at the 79th Kinki High School Swimming Championships, World Junior Championships-bound Ohashi dipped under the 2:07 barrier for the first time in his young career.
Entering this competition, the teen’s lifetime best and previous World Junior Record sat at the 2:07.27 he notched just last month at the Osaka High School Championships.
Tonight, Ohashi beat the field by nearly 9 seconds en route to establishing the new WJR.
He opened in a head-turning 1:00.94 and, despite that actually being slower than his previous standard’s 1:00.53 opener, he was able to save some gas on the back half to surge to his other-worldly 2:06.91.
| Ohashi’s New WJR – 2:06.91 | Ohashi’s Old WJR – 2:07.27 |
| 28.52 | 28.23 |
| 32.42 (1:00.94) | 32.30 (1:00.53) |
| 32.82 | 32.91 |
| 33.15 | 33.83 |
Ohashi was already ranked as the top 16-year-old breaststroke in history but the Japanese ace further separated himself from the rest with tonight’s performance.
All-Time Top 5 Male 16-Year-Old 200 Breaststrokers (LCM)
- Shin Ohashi, Japan – 2:06.91 (2025)
- Josh Matheny, United States – 2:09.40 (2019)
- Ippei Miyamoto, Japan – 2:10.51 (2016)
- Daniel Gyurta, Hungary – 2:10.75 (2004)
- Matthew Wilson, Australia – 2:11.23 (2015)
Within the nation of Japan, Ohashi is now the 3rd-best performer in history and just the 3rd man from his nation to clear the 2:07 barrier. He also checks in as the 10th-best performer of all time, worldwide.
Top 10 Japanese Men’s LCM 200 Breaststroke Performers All-Time
- Shoma Sato – 2:06.40, 2021
- Ippei Watanabe – 2:06.67, 2017
- Shin Ohashi – 2:06.91, 2025
- Akihiro Yamaguchi – 2:07.01, 2012
- Yamato Fukasawa – 2:07.07, 2024
- Yu Hanaguruma – 2:07.07, 2024
- Yasuhiro Koseki – 2:07.18, 2017
- Kosuke Kitajima – 2:07.51, 2008
- Ryuya Mura – 2:07.58, 2021
- Ryo Tateishi – 2:08.17, 2012
16-year-old Ohashi now ranks #1 in the world, dethroning countryman Yamato Fukasawa who previously wore the crown as a result of his 2:07.24 from this February.
2024-2025 LCM Men 200 Breast
OHASHI
2:06.91 WJR
| 2 | YAMATO FUKASAWA | JPN | 2:07.24 | 02/15 |
| 3 | Filip NOWACKI | GBR | 2:07.32 | 08/22 |
| 4 | Qin Haiyang | CHN | 2:07.41 | 08/01 |
| 5 | IPPEI WATANABE | JPN | 2:07.53 | 02/15 |
The rise of the Japanese teen element, one which also includes 18-year-old Tennessee commit Mizuki Hirai, helps soften the blow of the nation’s lack of Olympic hardware as of late. Last year in Paris, 400m IM silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita represented the sole medalist, despite such guns as Daiya Seto, Tomoru Honda and Ippei Watanabe among its roster.
Still 2 1/2 years of junior eligibility to go. Can he push this WJR into the 2:05 range or perhaps even break the WR?
Possible.
A 17 yo Akihiro Yamaguchi broke WR in 2012
Is he going to worlds?
Japanese 200 breaststroke and 4im gang is something else.
Okay wtf
What’s the odds of world junior champion being faster than the world champion?
Not very high honestly, one or both Marchand and Qin should be faster than this, but the fact that we’re having this conversation is pretty incredible
Qin won’t be faster than that, he had his shot two years ago – pun intended.
Ohashi could also be faster than this at World Juniors.
Qin will be faster
when’s the last time this has happened in any event? I know it happened in 2015 in this event on the women’s side, when the senior worlds winning time was 2:21.15 and then Gunes went 2:19.64 at jr worlds a couple weeks later, not sure if it’s happened since then though
Milak did it in the 200 fly in 2017, he didnt swam it at worlds but he did at JRs
Marchand just dropped 2breast so..,,,,,
Well the odds have skyrocketed, basically just a Qin vs Ohashi proxy battle now
highkey with Marchand dropping it and Shin having another go at WJs its seeming more possible
Dude the Japan new generation is cracked
will he be attending world junior champs? and is he not tapered rn? how’s he keep dropping time
yup, he is attending WJs
this time would have medaled in every olympics in history