2023 KONAMI OPEN
- Saturday, February 18th & Sunday, February 19th
- International Swimming Center, Chiba Prefecture
- LCM (50m)
- Meet Site
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap
- Results
At 33 years of age, 4-time Olympian Ryosuke Irie raced his first 200m backstroke in nearly a year.
Competing on day two of the 2023 Konami Open, Irie swam in the heats of the 200m back event, putting up a strong time of 1:56.81. The veteran opened in 56.53 and closed in 1:00.28 to easily take the top seed of the morning. However, Irie opted out of the final, citing his need to keep his back pain in check.
After the race, Irie stated, “I was feeling unwell in the morning and my back hurt a lot, but I was 56, a time I was aiming for with my training. I’m very happy with that.”
The last occasion on which Irie took on the 200m back was in March of 2022 at the Japanese Trials for the World Championships. There in Tokyo, he produced a result of 1:56.99. Although that qualified the ace for Budapest, Irie chose to focus solely on the 100m back. In that shorter distance, he ultimately placed 7th in 52.83.
His 1:56.81 marks Irie’s fastest outing since the 1:55.97 he posted in 2021, ranking him 4th in the world this season.
2022-2023 LCM Men 200 Back
Kos
1:54.14
| 2 | Ryan Murphy | USA | 1:54.83 | 07/28 |
| 3 | Roman Mityukov | SUI | 1:55.34 | 07/28 |
| 4 | Joshua Edwards-Smith | AUS | 1:55.42 | 12/13 |
| 5 | Evgeny Rylov | RUS | 1:55.50 | 04/21 |
On whether he’ll take on both events for this year’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Irie said, “I haven’t decided anything right now.”
Irie owns the Japanese national record in the 200m back, possessing a lifetime best of 1:52.51 from the 2009 World Championships. He also owns the top 10 best performances in Japanese history and ranks as the #2 performer of all time worldwide.
Top 5 Men’s LCM 200 Backstroke Performers All-Time
- Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 1:51.92, 2009
- Ryosuke Irie (JPN) – 1:52.51, 2009
- Ryan Lochte (USA) – 1:52.96, 2011
- Mitch Larkin (AUS) – 1:53.17, 2015
- Evgeny Rylov (RUS) – 1:53.23, 2021
Ryosuke Irie‘s Top 10 Backstroke Performances
- 1:52.51, 2009 World Championships
- 1:53.26, 2014 Asian Games
- 1:53.78, 2012 Olympic Games
- 1:53.91, 2014 Japan Swim
- 1:54.02, 2012 Western Australian States
- 1:54.03, 2012 Japan Championships
- 1:54.08, 2011 Japan Trials
- 1:54.11, 2011 World Championships
- 1:54.13, 2009 World University Games
- 1:54.14, 2009 World Championships
Along with Roland Mathes, Irie has the most efficient and beautiful looking backstroke technique among all male backstrokers.
He’s still got it
Real question is Irie the GOAT backstroker
Definitely one of them
God no. But pretty incredible longevity.
At first I read this and thought, “That is mean!”. But then I thought about it and I actually 100% agree.
Never won a single Olympic or World title, in short course even. He isn’t even kind of close. Let’s stop handing out accolades like candy
He’s up there as one of the most beloved swimmers – seems he’s a favourite of everyone. And he’s certainly a backstroke ‘great’ but not really a GOAT contender
That is outrageous. I think we are going to see more older swimmers excel well into their 30’s moving forward. I feel like college wasnt my peak, but probably late 20’s. Back then, I thought I was an old man.
He has always been one of my favorite swimmers. Hope to see him medal in Paris. Fingers crossed