2021 JAPAN SWIM (OLYMPIC TRIALS)
- Saturday, April 3rd – Saturday, April 10th
- Tokyo Olympic Aquatics Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Japan’s Sole Olympic-Qualifying Opportunity
- JASF Olympic Selection Policy
- Entries
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap
- Live Results
- Live Stream (Prelims Only)
It’s fair to say that Japan’s 200m fly field on the men’s side runs deep, with a remarkable 6 athletes dipping under the 1:57 threshold in tonight’s semi-final.
Competing in round #2 at the 2021 Japan Swim, the meet which represents the nation’s sole Olympic-qualifying opportunity, Tomoru Honda got his hand on the wall first in 1:54.93 to land lane 4 for tomorrow’s main event.
Entering this meet, Honda’s personal best rested at the 1:55.31 he produced at the 2019 FINA World Junior Championships. That garnered him the silver medal there in Budapest behind winner Luca Urlando of the United States. With this result, Honda checks in as Japan’s 7th fastest performer all-time in this men’s 2fly event.
Playing it cool with a 2nd-seeded 1:55.56, the short course world record holder in this event, Daiya Seto, held steady to book his ticket to tomorrow’s big dance, while the next 3 swimmers could also make a run at one of the top 2 spots.
18-year-old Teppei Miromoto especially came out of nowhere to log a big-time 1:56.12 tonight to tackle tomorrow’s race as the 3rd speediest entrant. Entering this meet, the teen’s career-quickest was represented by the 1:57.69 he put up in February of this year. As such, in just a few months’ time, the young man dropped about 1 1/2 seconds to put his name in contention for possible Olympic qualification.
Overall, the top 5 finishers in tonight’s semi all dipped under the stiff Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF)-mandated time standard of 1:56.25 needed to qualify for a home-based Olympic Games, a mark .23 faster than the FINA ‘A’ cut of 1:56.48.
For additional perspective, the top 6 finishers here in Tokyo all would have placed at least 3rd in the United States’ men’s 200m fly final at their 2016 Olympic Trials. The 1-3 performers there in Omaha included Michael Phelps (1:54.84), Tom Sheilds (1:55.81) and Jack Conger (1:56.45), with Japan’s Honda, Seto, Miromoto, Tanaka, Terada and Horomura all dipping under Conger’s result with the final yet to come.
MEN’S 200 FLY – SEMI-FINAL
JPN National Record – 1:52.53, Daiya Seto 2020
JPN Olympic Qualifying Time – 1:56.25
TOP 8:
- Tomoru Honda, 1:54.93
- Daiya Seto, 1:55.56
- Teppei Morimoto, 1:56.11
- Daiki Tanaka, 1:56.12
- Takumi Terada, 1:56.19
- Nao Horomura, 1:56.30
- Yuki Kobori, 1:57.27
- Yuya Sakamoto, 1:57.61
Japan and Hungary are so good at all the events the rest of us are too big sooks to do.
Unreal.
Hungarians are finally getting ahead in sprinting events, as well. A 15 year old girl might even make it to Tokyo in 200 free; the Hungarian National Championship just concluded last week. Exciting!
It’s so weird to think that Masato Sakai, the silver medalist from 2016 with a time of 1:53.40, isn’t here.
Australia could never.
(I wish they could)