2018 Japan Swim: Hagino Back To 400 IM Form, Nakamura 48.22

2018 JAPAN SWIM (JAPANESE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS)

• Tuesday, April 3rd – Sunday, April 8th
• Tatsumi International Swim Centre, Tokyo, Japan
• LCM
• Selection meet for Asian Games, Pan Pacific Championships, Jr. Pan Pacific Championships & Youth Olympics
• Meet Site
• SwimSwam Preview
• Start Lists
• Live Results
• Day 1 Prelims/Day 1 Finals
• Day 2 Prelims/Day 2 Finals
• Day 3 Prelims/ Day 3 Finals
• Day 4 Prelims/ Day 4 Finals
• Day 5 Finals

We reported on the national records set by Yui Ohashi in the women’s 400m IM and Rikako Ikee in the women’s 100m free and 50m fly on the final of the 2018 Japan Swim, but there were additional notable efforts concluding the 6-day competition.

24-year-old Yuki Kobori separated himself from the rest of the field in the men’s 100m butterfly to take the gold in the only sub-52 second mark of the field. Racing out in front in 24.16, Kobori held on to clock a final mark of 51.86 to top the podium, the 2nd fastest time of his career. He held off 200m fly champion Nao Horomura, who touched in 52.04, as well as Naoki Mizunuma who took bronze in 52.18.

Kobori, a member of Japan’s bronze medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay in Rio, has been slightly faster in this 100m fly this season, currently holding the 6th fastest time in the world with the 51.69 produced back in September at Japan’s National Sports Festival.

Reona Aoki doubled up on her impressive 100m breaststroke victory from day 3 with the 200m breaststroke gold here in Tokyo tonight. Splitting 1:07.50/1:14.35, Aoki touched the wall first in 2:21.85 to beat out one-time national record holder Kanako Watanabe. Watanabe earned silver in 2:22.90, while Satomi Suzuki finished in 2:23.19 to round out the top 3.

For perspective, Aoki’s time tonight would have rendered her a bronze medalist in the event at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.

With her lightning fast 1:05.90 in the 100m breast individual event, along with her speedy 2:21.85 here in the 200m, Aoki now sits atop the world rankings breaststroke throne in both events.

National record holder Katsumi Nakamura was also back in action tonight, trying to earn a sprint freestyle sweep. And, the 24-year-old was indeed successful, topping the men’s 100m freestyle podium in 48.22.

Former national record holder and primary domestic nemesis Shinri Shioura took the race out quickly in 23.09, but couldn’t hold on as Nakamura charged won the stretch. Shioura settled for silver in a mark of 48.76, while 3rd place finisher, Katsuhiro Matsumoto, was also under the 49-second threshold in 48.81, his fastest ever.

Even after a stacked men’s 100m freestyle field battled it out down under at the Commonwealth Games, Nakamura’s national record effort of 47.87 from earlier this year remains as the #1 time in the world this season.

After finishing with silver in the 400m free, bowing out of the 200m free, and bouncing back with a close victory in the 200m IM, Kosuke Hagino clinched the gold in his signature 400m IM race. The 2016 Olympic champion churned out a time of 4:10.69 to beat domestic rival Daiya Seto by over 3 seconds.

Seto touched in 4:14.01, somewhat pedestrian by his standards, while Tomoya Takeuchi was right behind in 4:14.49 for bronze.

A battle is no doubt brewing among Hagino and American Chase Kalisz as we look ahead to the Pan Pacific Championships this summer. Kalisz got the best of Hagino at last year’s World Championships and currently sits atop the world rankings with the 4:08.92 he pulled down at the Atlanta Pro Swim.

Additional Winners on the Final Day:

• Yukimi Moriyama was tnoight’s 1500m frestyle winner for teh women, clocking 16:17.22.
• Syogo Takeda took the men’s 800m freestyle gold in 7:53.24.
• The women’s 200m backstroke victor was Natsumi Sakai, who claimed gold in 2:08.28, a new high school record.