On the 23rd, two months before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, Rikako Ikee, a swimmer, participated in a tournament held in Ibaraki Prefecture and said, "I just believe that there is a real performance and practice." did.
Ikee, who has been appointed as the representative of the second relay event of the Tokyo Olympics, participated in the tournament held in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, for three days from the 21st to the 23rd.
On the 23rd, the third day of the tournament, she participated in the women's 100-meter backstroke as part of the adjustments for the Olympics, marking 1: 2: 65 in the qualifying and advancing to the final in the second time overall.
In the final race, he swam aggressively and turned back in 2nd place in the first half, then reversed in the second half and finished 1st at 1: 2: 02.
After the race, Ikee said, "I entered the event because I didn't want to concentrate too much on the main event in terms of feelings. I was able to improve the time from the qualifying. I think it was a good race. "
On top of that, for the Tokyo Olympics, which is two months before the opening, "I think that the athletes just believe that there is a real performance and practice. However, since it is the Tokyo Olympics that I will face with an eye on the future, After that, I would like to practice so that I can get good results. "
In the men's 100-meter freestyle, Katsuhiro Matsumoto ranked first with 48.47 seconds, a difference of 0 seconds and 10 seconds from his personal best.
In the men's 100-meter butterfly, Naoki Mizunuma, who has been nominated as a representative in this event, took first place with a good time of 51.62, which is 0.59 difference from his personal best, and each showed good adjustments.
Japan national team coach Hirai "There is no change in preparing"
Director Norimasa Hirai of the Japanese national swimming team commented on the swimming of the national team players in this tournament. I think that each player had a theme, "he said, and he seemed to feel a certain response.
Regarding the impact of the new coronavirus, "It has been the case since last year, but it is difficult to continue to be unable to compete with rival players because we cannot go abroad. At the Japan Open next month, all the Japanese national teams will gather. So I want to increase my motivation and have a sense of purpose. "
For the Tokyo Olympics, which is two months before the opening, "While there are opinions calling for cancellation, there are actually places where it is harder to get lost and concentrate than the usual Olympics. We should prepare. There is no change in the situation, so I want to do what I can in the remaining two months. "