The Japanese swimming trials will be taking place at the Tatsumi International Pool in Tokyo April 10-13 starting tomorrow. These trials will be Japan’s 90th swimming nationals and the selection meet for their Pan Pac roster.
All the links you need for the meet can be found here
2014 JAPANESE TRIALS
- April 10-13 in Tokyo, Japan
- Live results/start list
- Live stream of the meet available here
The Japanese will be selecting their team based on time standards:
|
EVENT |
MEN |
WOMEN |
| 50m free | 22.76 | 25.89 |
| 100m free | 49.61 | 55.87 |
| 200m free | 1:47.97 | 1:59.97 |
| 400m free | 3:49.69 | 4:12.27 |
| 800m free | x | 8:39.50 |
| 1500m free | 15:10.06 | x |
| 50m back | 25.29 | 28.28 |
| 100m back | 54.12 | 1:00.60 |
| 200m back | 1:58.13 | 2:09.88 |
| 50m breast | 28.07 | 32.20 |
| 100m breast | 1:00.14 | 1:08.62 |
| 200m breast | 2:09.75 | 2:26.03 |
| 50m fly | 24.10 | 27.46 |
| 100m fly | 52.80 | 59.83 |
| 200m fly | 1:56.99 | 2:10.36 |
| 200m IM | 1:59.59 | 2:13.76 |
| 400m IM | 4:15.42 | 4:41.29 |
Kosuke Hagino will be swimming four events at trials, the 200m and 400m freestyles as well as the 200m and 400m IM’s. Hagino will be a huge threat at Pan Pacs in the 400m free, 200m IM, and 400m IM after a silver in both the 400m free and 200m IM at Worlds last year and a bronze in the 400m IM from London.
Ryosuke Irie is slated to swim the backstroke events at trials. He could very well make his way on to the podium this summer at Pan Pacs with a lot of international competition in the backstroke events.
The battle to qualify in the 100m and 200m breaststroke at trials will be great as Kosuke Kitajima, Akihiro Yamaguchi, and Ryu Tateishi will all fight to make the team. Kitajima has the most international experience as one of the best breaststrokers of all time. Last year, Kitajima didn’t qualify to swim the 200m breaststroke at Worlds because Yamaguchi and Tateishi finished ahead of him. Yamaguchi is currently the world record holder in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:07.01. At Worlds last year he was seventh in finals, Tateishi was eighth.
Most notably missing from the start list is Aya Terakawa who won two bronze medals last summer, one in the 50m backstroke, one in the 100m backstroke. Terakawa announced her retirement earlier this year.
Hagino goes 4.07.88, just outside the national record. Kitajima only 7th in the 100m breast final, despite nobody breaking 60 secs.
And I see that the Japanese qualifying times is the most reasonable of all countries so far.
Yamaguchi.. Only B Final on 100 breast..
Not sure what happened. He was out just a tenth slower than Kitajima at the 50, and faded a long way after that. Not quite the back half I’d expect from a WR holder.
He seems to have struggled to live up to that WR, which is a shame. In quite a few interviews his coach Norimasa Hirai has suggested that it’s more of a mental problem.
Despite Yamaguchi’s troubles the depth in both the men’s and women’s breaststroke events is impressive.
I see Satomi Suzuki swam a 1:07 in the women’s 100 BR, after a disappointing 2013 she looks like she might be back on track, and Kanako Watanabe is going from strength to strength. I wonder if she will focus on breaststroke or IM events this year.
I am glad Kanako Watanabe keeps improving although not in the event where she first made her mark.
When she blitzed 2:23.90 at 14 yo, I was afraid that she would turn out like many other Japanese young phenoms who stopped their phenomenal improvement once they grow older.
Watanabe is also very petite, only 164 cm and 54 kg.
I just watched Hagino swim prelims of 400 im….looked soooooo easy 4:11……he is scary good
Hagino is pure talent.
If only he were 3-5″ taller, he’d destroy WRs.
In my opinion, Hagino is the best overall swimmer out there today. His range and versatility is the best out there. Sure he didn’t win a lot of medals in Barcelona (I thought it was a fantastic performance nevertheless), but he swam one hell of a program. Some are saying le Clos is the answer to the void Phelps left, but Hagino is much more exciting in my opinion. His trajectory is going no where but up.
And I love the fact he’s so small (5’9, under 160 lbs)! Smaller than most female top-level swimmers. He’s breaking all the stereotypes that you have to have a big physical build to be a successful swimmer.
To further add: he swam 6 individual events in Barcelona. He have easily been on the relays too. It doesn’t keep more Phelpisian than that!
Fair point, and I would like to agree to you but I think Lochte may still hold that title. Le Clos shouldn’t even be in the conversation because his 200back and 200free times are a good 3+ seconds from being world class.
Lochte is at his best, is top 3 in the world in the 200back, and is a signficant medal contender in the 100fly and 200free, which covers 3 strokes– and is the best in the world in the 200IM, until Hagino can beat him. Hagino is a medal contender in the 400free (I would argue that he is not top3 in the world despite that he has a bronze medal), and the backstroke events (things just haven’t really… Read more »
Kitajima still competing? Until recent research (5 mins ago) I could have sworn he retired after London. Good to still see him racing as he was still lightning fast in 2012 japanese trials 58.9, 2:08.1 and choked at London. In my opinion he has the greatest technique, runner up cordes.
He competed at the 2013 world champs. He finished 6th in the 100 breast and also competed in the 50 breast.
I’m a little surprised that Hagino isn’t in the 100 and 200 backstroke. I think he made the 200 backstroke finals back in 2013 worlds. But maybe he’s thinking a of a lighter schedule so that he can do better in the 400 IM on the last day. As I remember, he made finals in all, but I’m not sure if he medaled in much; by the time it got to the 400 IM (his best event), he looked so tired that his team mate (Sagino I think his name is) overtook him.
Hagino actually is in the backstrokes, the seeding’s just a bit weird so he’s hard to find. He’s shown he can swim the 6 event schedule very well in a 3-day no semifinal format, but he may have to end up dropping something at the big meets with a more drawn out program.
Seto-Hagino is a great rivalry in swimming. Two Japanese guys, same age, with opposite specialties (short vs. long axis).