Rikako Ikee Lowers Own Japanese, Pan Pac Records In Women’s 100 Fly

2018 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Thursday, August 9 – Tuesday, August 14, 2018
• Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center, Tokyo, Japan
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Rikako Ikee won gold in the women’s 100 fly on home soil at the Pan Pacific Championships, breaking her own Japanese and Pan Pac Records in a time of 56.08.

Out under world record pace in 25.89, Ikee closed in 30.19 to improve her previous National Record of 56.23 from the Monaco stop of the Mare Nostrum Tour in June. She also broke her meet record of 56.90 set in the heats, and now brings the mark more than a second under where it was heading into the competition (57.30).

The 18-year-old also just missed breaking the Asian Record of 56.07, set by China’s Liu Zige in 2009. Liu set that record just days prior to breaking one of the most untouchable world records on the books, her vaunted 2:01.81 in the 200 fly. Ikee broke her own Asian Record in the 200 free on day 1 of the competition.

Ikee jumps past Australian Emma McKeon (56.18) to become the 4th-fastest performer in history, previously sitting in a tie for 5th with another Aussie Jessicah Schipper (who was the meet record holder prior to Ikee’s heat swim).

In addition to the records broken, Ikee’s swim breaks her tie with world record holder Sarah Sjostrom for the fastest time in the world in 2018.

McKeon won bronze in this race in a time of 56.54, trailing American Kelsi Dahlia (56.44) by one-tenth of a second. Dahlia was just off her lifetime best of 56.37 set at the 2017 World Championships.