101st JAPAN STUDENT SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, September 4th – Sunday, September 7th
- Tokyo Aquatics Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Results
The 101st Japan Student Swimming Championships kicked off today in Tokyo with several significant races highlighting the finals session.
We reported how Olympic silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita fired off a new lifetime best of 4:07.21 to take the men’s 400m IM.
His effort overtook his previous PB of 4:08.32 notched at this year’s World Championships, where we earned runner-up status behind champion Leon Marchand of France.
20-year-old Matsushita is now the 10th-swiftest performer in history. You can read more about this swim here.
Another World Championships silver medalist in Mio Narita was in action as well, racing in the women’s edition of the 400m IM.
The 18-year-old stopped the clock at a mark of 4:35.66 to establish a new meet record, erasing the former benchmark of 4:36.48.
Tonight, Narita got to the wall about 3 seconds ahead of the pack, with her outing coming within striking distance of the 4:33.26 she notched to tie Aussie Jenna Forrester for runner-up status in Singapore. The women touched simultaneously behind champion Summer McIntosh of Canada who won gold in 4:25.78.
Hidekazu Takehara took on the men’s 200m backstroke this evening where he nailed a new lifetime best of 1:55.50 en route to topping the podium.
Splitting 56.83/58.67, Takehara was the decisive winner, easily surpassing the 1:57.25 he posted for 19th place in Singapore. His time of 1:55.50 would have placed 7th in the World Championships final.
Takehara is now Japan’s 3rd-best 200m back performer of all time.
Top 5 Japanese Men’s LCM 200 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Ryosuke Irie – 1:52.51, 2009
- Kosuke Hagino – 1:54.23, 2014
- Takehara Hidekazu – 1:55.50, 2025
- Keita Sunama – 1:55.54, 2018
- Kodai Nishiono – 1:56.04, 2025
Additional Winners
- Rio Suzuki was too quick to catch in the women’s 100m freestyle, posting 55.01 to get to the wall first.
- 18-year-old Tatsuyua Murasa touched in 48.82 to win the men’s 100m freestyle, just off his PB of 48.75 logged in March of this year. Syoon Mitsunaga was also sub-49 seconds in 48.94 as Konosuke Yanagimoto‘s effort of 49.04 garnered him the bronze. Murasa earned 200m free bronze at this year’s World Championships.
