As we continue to roll through the Australian State Championship meets, next up is the New South Wales 13-18 State Age Championships, and in addition to the vast amount of local talent, the Japanese have supplemented the competition with a 14 & under Junior National Team.
This is a Long Course Meters meet.
The highlight of the meet so far is a New South Wales and Australian All-Comers-crushing record for 13-year olds in the girls’ 200 fly, where Japan’s Suzuka Hasegawa swam a 2:10.73 to win by over 11 seconds in her age group. The old All-Comers record belong to her countrymate Saori Haruguchi from back in 2001 with a 2:12.70.
In comparison, since at least the year 2000 the fastest American we’ve seen at that age is seven-tenths slower (Cassidy Bayer). That time would have qualified Hasegawa for the semi-finals at last year’s World Championships.
The young Hasegawa also has won the 200 free (2:06.27) and the 100 fly (59.72), the latter of which is not quite her best time, but breaks Yolane Kukla’s 13-year olds Australian All-Comers Record as well.
Among other impressive competitors from the Japanese team thus far include 14-year old Ippei Miyamoto, who won the boys’ 14 years 200 IM in 2:08.10 and 100 breast in 1:05.02.
Full results for this meet, which runs through Saturday, can be found on Meet Mobile.
I wonder what times Jessicah Schipper was doing in 200 m fly at this age. Anybody knows if she will return to competition?
Great performance but personally, I stop paying too much attention to crazy fast times swum by young Asian swimmers. Perhaps they mature faster, I don’t know, but it’s a fact that most of them stagnate while they become older and disappear very often. We have seen so many examples in the last few years.
I think it has something to do with reaching physical peak – Asians, generally, are 2-4 inches shorter than Europeans, in both Genders. This could suggest that Asians reach their physical peak before Europeans, as they have smaller frames, and therefore, are not growing and maturing physically for as long as their European/America/Australia counterparts. It is seen often, Yolane Kukla for example, she seems to have hit physical peak very early, a very short muscular compact frame, much like Asian swimmers. No evidence, other than the height, but I think that’s it.
Especially the japanese juniors in Australia. Not only the last few years, they always swim ridiculous times for their age, but only an extreme few went on to great things.