2023 JAPAN INTER-COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, October 31st – Sunday, September 3rd
- Tokyo Aquatics Center
- LCM (50m)
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
- Day 3 Recap
- Results (in Japanese)
The 2023 Japan Inter-College Championships wrapped up tonight from the Tokyo Aquatics Center, site of the 2020 Olympic Games.
For the first time in three years, Meiji University topped the overall men’s team standings while the women’s trophy was taken by Chukyo University. This represents Chukyo’s third consecutive team victory in this competition.
Despite the team standings, it was Waseda University who claimed golds in both the women’s and men’s 50m freestyle final.
For the women, Maria Imamaki took the title, clocking a time of 25.24. That just out-touched runner-up Shiho Matsumoto who settled for silver in 25.30 while Yume Jinno was right behind in 25.33 as the bronze medalist.
Yosuke Suda was the men’s victor, registering a winning effort of 22.38. Silver went to Shigetou Ryuusei who touched in 22.46 while Kosuke Matsubara bagged bronze in 22.49.
A meet record bit the dust at the hands of Chukyo University’s Hiroshita Natsuki. Competing in the women’s 100m butterfly, Natsuki produced a mark of 57.69, slicing .01 off of the previous competition record of 57.70.
Natsuki opened in 26.87 and closed in 30.83 to become Japan’s 4th-swiftest performer in history in this 1fly event.
Top 5 Japanese Women’s LCM 100 Butterfly Performers All-Time
- Rikako Ikee – 56.08, 2018
- Ai Soma – 57.42, 2023
- Suzuka Hasegawa – 57.49, 2020
- Hiroshita Natsuki – 57.69, 2023
- Hiroko Makino – 57.73, 2023
As for the men’s 100m fly, Genki Terakado wound up on top of the podium in a result of 51.65. Terakado spilt 24.39/27.26 to establish a new lifetime best.
Entering this competition, Terakado’s PB rested at the 52.07 he produced at this year’s Japanese World Championships Trials. This means the Nihon ace dipped under the 52-second threshold for the first time in his career, checking in as Japan’s 9th-quickest performer in history in the process.
Additional winners included Ai Ishikara reaping gold in the women’s 200m breast in 2:25.15 to clear the field by over one and a half seconds. Hiroshima Ikuru accomplished the same feat for the men, clocking 2:09.40 for the gold.
The women’s squad from Kinki University claimed the 4x200m freestyle relay title in 8:03.25 while Nihon touched first for the men in 7:12.81. Olympic silver medalist Tomoru Honda and fellow Olympian Konosuke Yanagimoto clocked the fastest splits, hitting 1:47.46 and 1:47.06, respectively.
Nice photo.