Blueseventy Swim of the Week: Koseki strikes first in worldwide 200 breast battle

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Disclaimer: BlueSeventy Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The BlueSeventy Swim is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks some as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Where some events at this summer’s World Championships seem already nearly sewn up (looking at you, women’s distance free…), the exact opposite is true of the men’s 200 breast. But what’s intriguing about the 200 breast is that a world record could very conceivably fall… and there are perhaps 8 or more men who could potentially break the record.

In a crowded field of horses, Japan’s Yasuhiro Koseki rose to the front of the field last week at Japan’s national championship meet.

Koseki popped off the world’s fastest time for the season, a 2:07.77 that makes him the first man this year under 2:08, and sets him just about seven tenths off the world record held by his countryman Akihiro Yamaguchi at 2:07.01 from back in 2012.

2014-2015 LCM Men 200 Breast

MarcoGER
KOCH
08/07
2.07.76
2Yasuhiro
KOSEKI
JPN2.07.7704/11
3Kevin
CORDES
USA2.08.0508/07
4Daniel
GYURTA
HUN2.08.1008/07
5Adam
PEATY
GBR2.08.3404/14
View Top 26»

That’s faster than Koseki was at any point last year; his season-best was just 2:08.34, and wasn’t even in the top 5 in the world overall.

2014 LCM Men 200 Breast TYR World Ranking

RossGBR
MURDOCH
07/24
2.07.30
2Marco
KOCH
GER2.07.4708/21
3Dmitry
BALANDIN
KAZ2.07.6709/23
4Michael
JAMIESON
GBR2.07.7904/10
5Kevin
CORDES
USA2.07.8608/07
View Top 51»

Koseki will almost-certainly have to go faster this summer to win a World Championship, with names like Daniel Gyurta, Dmitry Balandin and Kevin Cordes yet to really wind up their long course bests. But for now, Koseki tops a list that includes the entire corps of British breaststrokers at this week’s nationals, including last year’s world leader Ross Murdoch and breakout star Adam Peaty.

And as the world creeps closer to the first-ever 2:06 in the event, it’s Koseki in the driver’s seat.

About blueseventy

Aptly named to suggest 70% of the earth is covered in water, blueseventy is the world leader in the pool, triathlon and open water wetsuits and swimskins. Since 1993, we design, test, refine and craft products using superior materials and revolutionary details that equate to comfort, freedom from restriction and ultimately a competitive advantage in the water. blueseventy products have instilled confidence in beginners as well as carried world-class athletes to countless Olympic and World victories.

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bobo gigi
8 years ago

Call me genius if you want 🙂 but here’s the race video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZC_VZ42oUY

Danjohnrob
Reply to  bobo gigi
8 years ago

You’re a genius! LOL!

Did anybody else notice his dolphin kick into the wall on the 3rd turn? That’s illegal, isn’t it?

Markster
8 years ago

I have a feeling that the 200 breastroke record will fall this year. A lot of swimmers have been getting close to breaking that 2:07 barrier. I think that or the 50 breast will be the next WR record to fall for the men

bobo gigi
Reply to  Markster
8 years ago

100 breast with Peaty tomorrow?
He has a big chance to break the WR.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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