Tomoru Honda Registers 4:09.98 Lifetime Best In 400 IM At Japan Open

2023 JAPAN OPEN

• Thursday, November 30th – Sunday, December 3rd
• Tokyo Aquatics Center
• LCM (50m)
• Entries (in Japanese)
• SwimSwam Preview
• Live Results

The 2023 Japan Open kicked off today with an elite cluster of competitors from not only the host nation but also Germany, Australia and beyond taking to the Tokyo Aquatics Center waters.

The men’s 400m IM was on tonight’s agenda and 21-year-old Tomoru Honda wasted no time making a statement in the event.

Honda, the reigning Olympic silver medalist in the 200m butterfly, stopped the clock in a time of 4:09.98 to grab the gold.

That got him to the wall exactly one second ahead of runner-up Tomoyuki Matsushita who also laid a strong marker of his own at 4:10.98. Riku Yamaguchi rounded out the podium in 4:12.73.

For Honda, his effort established a new lifetime best and his first-ever foray under the 4:10 barrier.

Entering this competition, Honda’s career-quickest rested at the 4:10.37 produced at this year’s World Trials. He ultimately placed 14th there in Fukuoka in a much slower 4:16.71.

Split comparison between Honda’s previous and new personal bests:

Honda remains Japan’s 3rd-best performer all-time in this event and joins Kosuke Hagino and Daiya Seto as the only men ever from the nation to dip under the 4:10 barrier.

As for runner-up Matsushita, he remains Japan’s 6th-swiftest swimmer of all time in his event, with his effort this evening falling just .01 shy of the PB he put up en route to becoming the 2023 World Junior champion.

Top 6 Japanese Men’s LCM 400 IM Performers All-Time

1. Kosuke Hagino – 4:06.05, 2016
2. Daiya Seto – 4:06.09, 2020
3. Tomoru Honda – 4:09.98, 2023
4. Yuya Horihata – 4:10.52, 2012
5. Takeharu Fujimori – 4:10.90, 2017
6. Tomoyuki Matsushita – 4:10.97, 2023

The world rankings already had Honda in the #1 spot, courtesy of the 4:11.40 he registered for gold at this year’s Asian Games. Matsushita now slides into the #2 position on the season with tonight’s outing.

It’s still astonishing to recognize that Honda’s time at this in-season meet would have earned the silver at the 2020 Olympic Games.