While competing at the 39th National Junior Olympic Cup Spring Swimming Games in her home nation of Japan, teen star Rikako Ikee nabbed yet another national record in a sprint event. Ikee raced her way to a new national mark of 24.05 in the women’s short course meters 50 freestyle to add to the 16-year-old Olympic finalist’s already impressive collection of achievements.
Ikee’s time of 24.05 comfortably overtook the previous national record held by Miki Uchida at 24.22 since the 2014 World Short Course Championships. Ikee’s mark also now sits just .05 off of the short course World Junior Record currently held by Menghui Zhu of China at 24.00. The Japanese sprinter already holds the World Junior Record in the 50 long course meters event with the wicked-fast 24.48 she threw down at last month’s Konami Open.
Even in a short course format he 3-day Junior Olympic Cup event is a final tune-up for next month’s Japanese Nationals, the meet at which the country’s World Championships roster will be determined. Teen phenom Ikee is set to compete in the 50m/100m/200m freestyle events, as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly races, each of which she holds Japan’s national record.