Kosuke Hagino of Japan had an impressive return to the pool over the weekend at the 2016 Kitajima Cup in Tokyo, Japan. He posted a time of 4:15.66 in the prelims of the 400m IM, advancing to the finals in the top spot. He then went on to swim an impressive time of 4:11.38, winning the A final at his first meet back since his injury that took place last July.
Hagino suffered an elbow injury while on a training trip with his team in Vichy, France and subsequently had to pull of out the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, Russia. He would have been sure to have made an impression at the World Championships and he was making impressive marks in the pool earlier that year. His best times of 2015 before his injury in his main events are as follows:
- 200 LCM IM: 1:56.30
- 400 LCM IM: 4:08.54
- 200 LCM free: 1:45.82
- 400 LCM free: 3:45.19
Prior to the Kosuke Kitajima Cup, Hagino’s coach Norimasa Hirai told SwimSwam’s Loretta Race earlier this week, that Hagino’s “condition is getting better week-by-week.” The Japanese national record holder also commented on his recovery, saying, “my elbow condition is good, that’s why I do hard training and participate in competition.” With the hopes of competing at another Olympic Games, he is training to be ready for the upcoming trials to get him where he wants to be, he states, “I will do my best performance for trials and Olympics.”
Great return by Mr Hagino.
Most of Japanese swimmers are used to swimming very fast in season.
But that’s still a great return after a long break.
At the risk of appearing to be a nattering nabob of negativism I don’t think Japan will have much — if any — impact on the international freestyle scene beforbthevTokyo Olympics ( m/w). If even then.
Their forte is in the stroke and medley events but when it comes to the biggest dance ( Olympics) save for Kitajima they’ve been sorely lacking of late and don’t expect Hagino to best Phelps/ Lochte (Josh Prenot? Chase Kalisz?) at Rio.
And by time Tokyo rolls around Hagino will be closer to retirement than peak form. Bsport science is all well and good but you gotta have the talent to begin with. Ya’ can’t make chicken pie out of a certain other substance.
“And by time Tokyo rolls around Hagino will be closer to retirement than peak form.”
What?
Hagino is currently 21, turning 22 by the time Rio rolls around approximately. He will be therefore be approximately 26 in Tokyo. If peak form for a male swimmer is 25 years old, and retirement is at 30, then Hagino is one year off of peak form and 4 years away from retirement in 2020.
Swimming is not like the 70s. No country will dominate like DDR or USA did then. But Japan has a system that in some ways works like USA but slightly better.
1) Skilled NAG (like in US)
2) Strong university base (like in US)
3) Sports Science (like US tries, but not many American top swimmers go to Colorado Springs. I dined with an post-grad American National IM-champ five years ago and he never took a lactate test, neither filmed technique. Just pushed hard in the workouts.)
I agree with MCGILLROCKS. 25-26 is not over the hill in my book. Then I would be dead.
Yeah Hagino’s really lacking in talent, impressive how science can make a potential medalist in six events out of such a scrub.
Also, lacking at the Olympics? Irie, Matsuda, Terakawa, Hoshi, Tateishi, Suzuki, and the rest of the men’s 4MR might disagree with you. Tough break on golds, sure, but second most medals overall.
There were several impressive performances yesterday, including Ayatsugu Hirai swimming a 15:00.42 in the 1500, and Katsumi Nakamura clocking a 22.18 in the 50 Free.
They are doing good stuff at Japan Sports Science Center! Most Individual World Champions even without Hagino. The land of the rising sun that invented the freestyle body roll and were the pre-WW2-dominants might rise again.