The final day of the 2014 Japan Open was a little bit of a redemption day for at least one swimmer who missed the Pan Pacs roster, but would like a do-over. While the normal roster of swimmers performed very well, a new swimmer stepped up.
Sayaka Akase won the women’s 200 backstroke in 2:08.76, which is a second-and-a-half faster than she was at Japan’s Nationals in the spring, where she finished 2nd and she (along with everyone else) failed to qualify for the Pan Pacs Championships and the Asian Games. This time would have put her there if it were done two months ago, and it also moves her to 5th in the world this year.
In the women’s 100 fly, Natsumi Hoshi also went faster than she was at Nationals in April (though she’s safely on the summer’s rosters). Hoshi took the women’s 100 fly in 58.56, beating out South Korea’s Sehyeon An (58.851) and Japan’s Tomoyo Fukuda (59.45).
Ryosuke Irie won the men’s 200 backstroke, his best event, running away in 1:54.63. He didn’t get pushed by anybody in this race, as Kosuke Hagino sat out the event for the 100 fly final instead.
Hagino didn’t win that 100 fly, though, as Hirofumi Ikebata took the title there in 51.89, with Hagino placing 2nd in 52.11. Hagino’s event choices this week indicate that his focus, with all of his versatility and potential in different events, is shifting slightly toward the IM’s this summer instead of the backstrokes.
Other event winners on the final day of the meet:
- Rie Kaneto won the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:22.73. Her next-closest competitor was Great Britain’s Molly Renshaw (2:24.46), but Kaneto stepped on the gas midway through to pull away. Mio Motegi placed 3rd in 2:25.37.
- Yasuhiro Koseki won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:08.34, with the World Record holder Akihiro Yamaguchi placing 2nd in 2:10.48. That swim for Koseki moves him to 2nd in the world so far this year.
- Kenta Ito won the men’s 50 free in a lackluster 22.36.
- Miki Uchida took the women’s 50 free in 25.23.
Question for anyone who knows Japanese swimming: are Takeharu and Hiromasa Fujimori brothers?
Reid – they are brothers, and in fact swim for their father. It’s a family affair!
I don’t think they are tapered for this meet. Some of them might have come down a bit and rested, but for instance Koseki has been on a tear since winning the 100 at the World University Games last summer and just got back from the Mare Nostrum. He’s really taken off in the 200 breast, going from a 2:11 to a 2:08 high during the course of the series, and now he’s shaved a few more tenths off to go 2:08.3. I think they’re trying to send a message to China in advance of the Asian Games, which may turn out to be the fastest meet of the year. I have a feeling that Koseki could be the one… Read more »
I still think Gyurta is the man to get Yamaguchi’s record. He seems to improve each year and is only a quarter of a second away. But it could be Koseki and Cordes in the future battle of breaststroke supremacy.
52.11 is apparently the magic number for the 100 fly this weekend.
Some of the times at this meet (when people nearly matched their Japanese Trials times) suggest that competitors tapered for it, which begs the question, with PanPacs and the Asian Games ahead, how many taper meets do they have in a season?
I dont think they tapered for Japan Open.I believe some of them made a good rest(like 5 to7 days) or a easy week of training just to know where they are at this point of preparation.