Rikako Ikee Lowers 1Fly NR Again, Moves Ahead of Oleksiak In Best Ever

2018 JAPAN SWIM (JAPANESE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS)

17-year-old Rikako Ikee was able to lower her own newly-minted 100m butterfly national record from last night’s semi-finals with a 56.38 stunner tonight in Tokyo. After establishing herself as the #1 swimmer in the world this season with her new NR of 56.58 in yesterday’s session, the teen managed to drop .2 off of that performance to check-in with a new personal best and world-leading effort of 56.38.

Splitting 26.12/30.26, Ikee found some extra speed on the front end, out doing her 26.44 opening split from last night. Prior to this Japan Swim competition, Ikee’s previous personal best, and old NR stood at the 56.86 she registered in Rio back in 2016.

With her 56.58 performance, Ikee now jumps ahead of Canadian teen and 100m freestyle Olympic champion Penny Oleksiak in the list of all-time performers in the 100m fly event. Oleksiak captured silver in Rio with a mighty 56.46, but Ikee just outdid that mark in 56.38 to position her as the 7th fastest performer in history.

There is a highly anticipated battle brewing between Ikee and Oleksiak, which may indeed come to a head at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in front of Ikee’s home crowd.

 

In This Story

39
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

39 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Mt Raining Rainier
6 years ago

If you have access to TV Japan on your cable program, it is showing Japan Swimming Champ at 7pm PST for one hour.

bobo gigi
6 years ago

Better videos from Japan championships day 1
Hopefully my links are right. My Japanese is not very good. 🙂

Men’s 100 back semifinals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiU2o5wXnvs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmwne_Fzgfc

Women’s 100 fly semifinals
Ikee 56.58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I1uBqbFiA4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ6XlW5_7GQ

Men’s 100 breast semifinals
Koseki 58.96 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjuwwGBLQYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jr_Ev37N8k

Men’s 400 free final
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJRW9di2W3g

Women’s 50 breast prelims
Suzuki 30.64 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ6XlW5_7GQ

Pvdh
6 years ago

She is on the absolute perfect timeline for her home Olympics.

bobo gigi
6 years ago

And talking about teens, 13-year-old American Claire Tuggle has just swum 4.11.37 to win the 400 free at the Irish Open.
You can watch day 1 live here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M91fHThPFA

Swimmer
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

Wow, that is fast.

bobo gigi
Reply to  Swimmer
6 years ago

First international race and first win for her. 🙂
I’ve watched the race live and she looked very relaxed. It looks so easy with her.
A 4.08 s time drop. Not very surprising considering she had dropped around 8 seconds in the 500 free in yards a few weeks ago at NCSA junior nationals. I think she will go 4.08/4.09 next summer.

Pvdh
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

Ledecky ?

4:07.2 is Sippy Woodheads 13-14 NAG. She’s got over a year to do it.

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

Your guess is very incorrect. Katie Ledecky was 4:20 at 13. I’d rather say Like Bingjie. She was 4:06 when 13 😀

Pvdh
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

What on earth are you talking about?

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

I’m talking about your amazing abilities to jump into conclusions.

Pvdh
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

What conclusion. You mean the Ledecky joke? Learn to detect a joke.

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

Thank you for the lesson. 😀

Pvdh
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Also where did you find Li being 4:06 at 13? She wasn’t on the scene until after rio where she would have been 14. She would have qualified for the Chinese team with that for Rio.

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

4:06.08; 1st Youth Swimming Championships; 10/19/2015
4:10.54; FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup 2015 ; 8/16/15

Pvdh
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Source?

Yozhik
Reply to  Pvdh
6 years ago

No, it is LCM. The source- USA Swimming database. If it is wrong – blame on them. Don’t kill a messenger. 😀

Brownish
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Please, calm down guys.

Admin
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Ledecky’s progression by age:

-10 – 5:28.09
-11 – 4:50.80
-12 – 4:39.27
-13 – 4:20.30
-14 – 4:09.30
-15 – 4:04.30
-16 – 3:59.82
-17 – 3:58.37
-18 – 3:59.13
-19 – 3:56.46
-20 – 3:58.34

Yozhik
Reply to  Braden Keith
6 years ago

She was most likely faster at 15. Because 4:04.30 was the time for the first half of her final race at 800 in London Olympic Games.

Philip
6 years ago

I said yesterday she was the next Sjöström and got a bunch of downvotes. Her range and speed are incredible.

Yozhik
Reply to  Philip
6 years ago

56.38 makes Ikee Rikako all times #7. Since Rio she got improved by 0.48 sec and still is body length behind Sjostrom’s personal best. It’s a lot in 100 race. Should Sarah Sjostrom take her seriously? Yes. She lost championships title to Manuel having advantage in personal best for more than a half of a second. Is Ikee next Sjostrom? She wishes. 4 world records in sprint is far beyond Ikee’s abilities as of now.

Pvdh
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Maybe in the 100s I think she can get on sjostroms level. Sweeping the 4 fastest sprints is unheralded ability (although it looks like we somehow have 2 of them concurrently atm)

Caeleb Dressel Will Win 9 Gold Medals in Tokyo
Reply to  Philip
6 years ago

Haters going to hate.

sven
6 years ago

Don’t get me wrong, that’s a phenomenal swim, but my legs hurt just thinking about a four second spread between 50’s. If she can figure out the pacing she’ll be knocking on the door of a 55.xx. Insane.

bobo gigi
6 years ago

Day 1 men’s 400 free final
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBSKu6urwdo

Crawler
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

The swimmer who came second was losing a body length at almost every turn!

bobo gigi
Reply to  Crawler
6 years ago

The swimmer who finished second is Kosuke Hagino.

CRD
6 years ago

Sjöstrom v Oleksiak v Ikee,

bobo gigi
Reply to  CRD
6 years ago

And Dana Vollmer with another comeback 🙂

Ben
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

As much respect as I have for Dana Vollmer, who broke one of the few London 2012 World Records, she’s past her prime. I’d sooner expect Kelsie Worrell (sorry if that’s spelled wrong, but it’s after midnight and I need to get to bed) to challenge for a medal at this point.

Brownish
Reply to  CRD
6 years ago

I think Sjöström v Sjöström and Oleksiak v Ikee

bobo gigi
Reply to  Brownish
6 years ago

In 2 years many things can happen. Maybe Erica Brown will swim 52/53 in 2020. 🙄

Brownish
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

Or Dora Hathazi 55.0 🙂

Brownish
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

BTW Bobo, watch out for Olaf Cserfalvi (20/09/2004), also from Nyiregyhaza as Dora Hathazi, with 27.41; 58.88; 2:07.09 (lcm fly).

Michael j. Mooney
Reply to  CRD
6 years ago

Americans will be back in the fly…

Brownish
Reply to  Michael j. Mooney
6 years ago

To tell the truth basicly I don’t mind who is in the front. I’m the fan of swimming.

CRD
Reply to  Brownish
6 years ago

That’s why I hope Ikee and/or Oleksiak can challenge Sjöström in the 100 fly in the future, dominance is never good for any sport imo.

SwimmerFan99
Reply to  CRD
6 years ago

Phelps’ dominance literally made swimming what it is, and Dressel’s dominance is bringing about a new revival of the sport. Dominance causes waves of the next generation being inspired by them and inevitably bettering the dominant performer’s records.

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

Read More »