Olympic Champion Kosuke Hagino Enters Pro Swimming Scene

Japanese powerhouse Kosuke Hagino will be graduating from Tokyo University in April, just in time to enter his first major competition after having elbow surgery. The 400m IM Olympic champion underwent endoscopic surgery last September to remove the extra bone on his right elbow, which was broken in June of 2015 while Hagino was at a staging camp for the FINA World Championships.

In conjunction with his graduation and return to competition, Hagino will also transition into a full-time, professional swimmer, having earned his first sponsorship. As part of its ‘Chase Your Dream’ campaign and support of the overall Olympic Movement, Bridgestone Corporation has entered a 5-year partnership with the multiple Japanese record holder.

‘Bridgestone is excited to partner with Kosuke Hagino to share his journey and support him in the continued pursuit of his goals,’ the Tokyo-based company said. With the sponsorship in place through the end of March 2022, Hagino will be supported through two monstrous events taking place on his home soil – the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, as well as the 2021 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka.

Hagino already proved himself as the next great weapon in Japanese swimming, having scored 400m IM gold, 200m IM silver and another silver as part of the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay in Rio. He was a finalist in the individual 200m freestyle and has very effectively dabbled in the 200m backstroke event in the past, so look for him to possibly incorporate the latter into his ongoing race portfolio for the next quadrennial.