2024 JAPANESE OLYMPIC TRIALS
- Sunday, March 17th – Sunday, March 24th
- Tokyo Aquatics Center
- LCM (50m)
- Japan’s Olympic Selection Criteria
- Entries
Olympic Trials season is about to get underway, beginning with Japan’s sole qualification opportunity for Paris 2024 kicking off next month in Tokyo.
Usually held in April, the Japan Swim/Olympic Trials are instead slated for March 17th through March 24th at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, site of swimming action at the 2020 Olympic Games.
We reported how, just as in years past, the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF) has set relatively stiff selection time standards for its Olympic hopefuls. The top two finals finishers in each event need to get within the thresholds shown below followed by the collective times needed for the top 4 finishers for relays.
Individual Qualifying Times (see column III below) for Japanese Swimmers for 2024 Olympic Games
Relay Qualifying Times (see column III below) for Japanese Swimmers for 2024 Olympic Games
We will present the top races and significant storylines as we get closer to the main event; however, in the meantime, we’ve pointed out key entries on both the women’s and men’s sides to get excitement brewing.
As a refresher, Japan sent 33 swimmers to its home-based Games in 2021 (although still referred to as the 2020 Olympic Games) but the nation came away with just 3 medals. Yui Ohashi grabbed gold in both the women’s 200m and 400m IM races while Tomoru Honda reaped silver in the men’s 200m fly.
More recently, the nation sent 12 swimmers to the just-concluded World Championships in Doha, Qatar, with Honda taking gold in the men’s 200m fly. Daiya Seto also earned bronze in the men’s 400m IM.
The small roster was because Trials are just a handful of weeks away, meaning the likes of Ryosuke Irie, Rikako Ikee and Ippei Watanabe preferred to remain in their training blocks.
Key Women’s Entries
- Reona Aoki – 50m/100m breast
- Suzuka Hasegawa – 100m/200m fly
- Rikako Ikee – 50m/100m free, 50m fly
- Nagisa Ikemoto – 50m/100m/200m free, 100m fly
- Runa Imai – 100m/200m breast
- Waka Kobori – 400m/800m free, 400m IM
- Hiroko Makino – 100m free, 50m breast, 100m/200m fly
- Shiho Matsumoto – 100m free, 50m back, 100m fly, 200m IM
- Airi Mitsui – 100m/200m fly
- Miyu Namba – 400m/800m free
- Mio Narita – 200m/400m IM
- Yui Ohashi – 200m/400m IM
- Rio Shirai – 100m free, 100m/200m back
- Ai Soma – 50m free, 50m/100m fly
- Satomi Suzuki – 50m/100m/200m breast
- Kanako Watanabe – 100m/200m breast
Key Men’s Entries
- Riki Abe – 200m/400m IM
- Yamato Fukasawa – 100m/200m breast
- Yu Hanaguruma – 100m/200m breast
- Tomoru Honda – 200m free, 100m/200m fly, 400m IM
- Ryosuke Irie – 100m/200m back
- Shinnosuke Ishikawa – 100m fly
- Takeshi Kawamoto – 100m back, 50m/100m fly
- Masahiro Kawane – 50m/100m free
- Hidenari Mano – 100m/200m free, 200m back
- Katsuhiro Matsumoto – 100m/200m free, 100m fly
- Ippei Miyamoto – 200m/400m IM
- Juran Mizohata – 100m free, 200m IM
- Naoki Mizunuma – 50m/100m fly
- Katsumi Nakamura – 50m/100m free
- So Ogata – 200m/400m IM
- Masato Sakai – 200m back, 200m fly
- Shoma Sato – 100m/200m breast
- Daiya Seto – 200m fly, 200m/400m IM
- Shinri Shioura – 50m/100m free
- Ippei Watanabe – 100m/200m breast
- Konosuke Yanagimoto – 100m/200m free
Some relay reserves teams may possibly start planning a trip to Paris after the Japanese trials as the 4×1 free w, 4×2 free m and 4x mix med look somewhat iffy. Furthermore, later on countries like Denmark and Brazil can open up more Q places for the reserve relays
Naoki Mizunuma, who went 50.81 in the 100 fly LCM in 2022, and Shoma Sato, who went 2:06.4 in the 200 breast LCM in 2021 are both in serious danger of not even qualifying for the team after abysmal performances last year.
The number of Japanese swimmers who have regressed over the past two years is concerning.
No Ikee in the 100 fly either?
Yessss Satomi is back in the 200 breast! (PB 2:20.72 from London 2012)
Hoping Honda’s ankle is healed. Really want to see him at his best in Paris. He has a chance at gold there.