Reona Aoki Rips 1:05.98 100 Breaststroke At Tokyo Swimming Invitational

2023 TOKYO SWIMMING CENTER INVITATIONAL

• Wednesday, November 1st – Sunday, November 5th
• Tokyo Aquatics Center
• LCM (50m)
• Results

The 2023 Tokyo Swimming Center Invitational is underway, with action wrapping up tomorrow, Sunday, November 5th.

The likes of Shoma Sato, Takeshi Kawamoto and Katsumi Nakamura are among the competitors, but thus far the spotlight was stolen by 28-year-old Reona Aoki.

Aoki raced in the women’s 100m breaststroke and stopped the clock in a speedy result of 1:05.98. The Olympian opened in 31.13 and closed in 34.85 to get to the wall over 2 seconds ahead of the competition.

Aoki’s 1:05.98 is less than a second off of her lifetime best and Japanese national record of 1:05.19, a time she registered at the 2022 Japan World Championships Trials to establish a new Asian Record. Her result at this invitational ranks as the 4th-swiftest of her career and just the 4th occasion on which she’s been under 1:06.

Her time here blew away the 1:06.81 she put up for gold at this year’s Asian Games.

Aoki now ranks #2 in the world on the 2023/24 season, sitting only behind Italy’s Benedetta Pilato who has been as fast as 1:05.75 on the World Cup.

Unfortunately, for Aoki fans, the seasoned swimmer has a habit of producing some of her quickest times on home soil and falls short when international medals are on the line.

For instance, the aforementioned 1:05.19 clocked at domestic trials would have taken the gold medal at the 2022 World Championships. Instead, Aoki finished 5th in a much slower 1:06.38.

The story was much the same for this year’s World Championships where Aoki logged 1:05.89 at home, a time which would have claimed bronze in Budapest. In that competition however, Aoki posted 1:06.32 to place 9th and out of the medal-contending race altogether.

If Aoki can find a way to do what she’s capable of both at home and abroad, the veteran has a shot at contending for a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.