Seto Clocks 1st Sub-52 1Fly While Omoto Rocks World’s #2 200 IM In Sydney

2019 SYDNEY OPEN MEET

• Friday, May 10th – Sunday, May 12th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center (SOPAC)
• Heats at 9am local/Finals at 5:30pm local
• Incorporates UniSport Nationals
• LCM
• Meet Site
• Start List
• SwimSwam Meet Preview
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
• Live Results

The final night of the inaugural Sydney Open saw additional fast performances by both the Aussies, as well as the strong Japanese contingency who is using this meet as a closing competition to their weeks-long camp in Cairns.

Both the Aussies and the Japanese have big meets remaining on their schedules, with the former competing at their nation’s World Championships Trials next month, while the latter have their 2nd qualification meet of the Japan Open Swim at the end of May. As such, both nations’ athletes are still in training mode, which made their performances here in Sydney all the more eye-catching.

19-year-old Olympian Suzuka Hasegawa made her mark on this meet by reaping gold in her specialty event, the women’s 200m fly. Clocking a time of 2:08.03, Hasegawa was just under a second ahead of teammate Hiroko Makino who touched in 2:08.93.

Both women were the only competitors under 2:10, as 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Laura Taylor of Bond finished in 2:10.48 for bronze.

Hasegawa qualified for Gwangju in this event wit her season-best mark of 2:07.21 she hit at the Japan Open. That ranks her 5th in the world at the moment.

Japanese World Record holder in the SCM 200 fly, Daiya Seto, rocked his 3rd personal best here in Sydney, wrapping up the meet with a big-time 100m fly performance of 51.94.

Entering this meet, Seto’s career-fastest sat at the 52.43 he produced at the the 2017 Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis. Flash forward to tonight, however, and the 24-year-old 400m IM Olympic bronze medalist fired off a time of 51.94 for gold, marking his first time ever under 52 seconds.

He beat out Japanese National Champion Naoki Mizunuma, who touched in 52.19 for silver tonight ahead of Aussie Olympian David Morgan, who finished in 52.84. Mizunuma earned a time of 51.43 for the gold at the Japan Open. That time was enough to give Mizunuma a slot on the World Championships roster, although Seto’s time tonight would have finished 2nd in that Japan Open final.

Seto’s time tonight ranks him 14th in the world this season.

Look for a separate post about Seto’s performances here in Australia, as the man already knocked down PBs in the 200m free and 400m free to keep his momentum going through the final stretch into Gwangju.

Two-time Pan Pacs gold medalist Yasuhiro Koseki doubled up on his 100m breast victory from earlier in the meet with a win in the 200m breast tonight. Clocking 2:09.72, the 27-year-old Olympian scored the only sub-2:10 time of the final, with SOSC’s Matt Wilson less than half a second behind in 2:10.14.

Wilson is the man who put up the 2:07.16 stunner at last month’s Australian National Championships. The time established a new Australian National Record and Commonwealth Record for the 20-year-old who had never before been under 2:08 in the event.

With Olympic bronze medalist in the women’s 200m free, Emma McKeon, not swimming today, Marion’s Madi Wilson got the job done for gold in a time of 1:57.09. That checks-in as the 24-year-old’s 2nd fastest time ever, sitting only behind the 1:56.90 she produced last month at the aforementioned Aussie Nationals.

Japan’s 19-year-old Rio Shirai powered out a time of 1:57.86, coming within striking distance of the 1:57.16 she put up at the Japanese Swimming Championships to claim the national title. Teammate Nagisa Ikemoto, jut 16, rounded out the top 3 tonight in 1:59.24.

Olympic champion Kyle Chalmers wound up not swimming here in Sydney after having a successful Aussie Nationals. Without him in the men’s 50m free final, it was a Japanese battle between current and former national record holders Shinri Shioura and Katumi Nakamura.

Shioura blasted a new NR of 21.67 at the Japanese Swimming Championships to clock a new NR, but tonight he was much more subdued, producing 22.50 for silver. Nakamura was the one on top, with the 25-year-old kicking out 22.41 for the gold.

Rounding out the top 3 was Griffiths’ Cameron McEvoy, who touched in 22.72.

Continuing her breakout year, 22-year-old Rika Omoto came within .01 of the Australian All Comers Record in the women’s 200m IM event. After sitting back with a time of 2:14.68 in this morning’s heats, the Japanese budding star cranked out a monster effort of 2:08.64. That beat out Japanese National Champion Yui Ohashi tonight.

Ohashi nailed a quality swim of her own in 2:09.43, while 17-year-old youngster Kaylee McKeown followed up on her impressive 200m back gold medal-winning performance with a bronze here in 2:11.04. That’s a new career-fastest mark for the Youth Olympic Games medalist, with her previous PB resting at the 2:11.50 from this year’s NSW State Championships.

Omoto’s menacing effort this evening now sits 2nd in the world, only behind Hungary’s Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu. Omoto’s time also marks just the 3rd swimmer to go under 2:09 this season and her outing beats the 2:09.27 Ohashi put up to take the Japanese National title last month.

Later in the session, McKeown went on to win the women’s 50m back in a time of 27.83.

Additional Winners:

• 22-year-old Jenna Strauch completed her trifecta of breaststroke wins, taking the 50m sprint in 31.77 tonight, the 2nd fastest time of her career.
• Fresh off the Nordic Tour, 27-year-old Olympic finalist Thomas Fraser-Holmes won the men’s 400m IM in 4:18.69.
• Bradley Woodward was the men’s 100m back victor, clocking 55.25 for the win.
• The men’s 1500m free saw 18-year-old Adam Sudlow win the race in 15:54.77, while Mikayla Messer won it for the women in 16:49.65.