The World Swimming Championships ended on the 25th with all swimming competitions.
In Japan, boys won four medals, but women did not, and all events ended without gold medals.
One year after the Tokyo Olympics, the world championship will be held in Fukuoka next year, and two years later, the Paris Olympics and the big international competitions will be held in quick succession. It was a valuable opportunity to get a feel for it.
In this world championship, Japan is a men's 200m butterfly, and Tomoru Honda is a bronze medal.
Daiya Seto won the bronze medal in the men's 200m individual medley.
Naoki Mizunuma won the silver medal in the men's 100m butterfly.
In the men's 200-meter breaststroke, Yu Hanawa won the silver medal.
While talented players such as Honda, who won the medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and Seto, who has been leading the Japanese swimming team, have been on the podium, Mizunuma, who has set a new Japanese record multiple times, and is growing rapidly. Some athletes have improved their abilities since the Tokyo Olympics, such as Hanawa's leaving results.
However, looking at the Paris Olympics two years later, it can be said that the results were unsatisfactory for the Japanese swimming team as a whole, with no medals for girls and no gold medals.
Overseas forces are steadily changing generations
Especially waiting is the rise of young people.
Hungary's Kristóf Milák, who set a new world record in the men's 200-meter butterfly and won the championship, is 22 years old.
France's Leon Marchand, who achieved two crowns in a men's individual medley, is 20 years old.
In addition, Romanian David Popovich, who won the second Danshi Jiyugata event, is 17 years old.
Canada's Summer McIntosh, who won the women's 400m individual medley and the women's 200m butterfly, was 15 years old, and next-generation star candidates grabbed gold medals one after another, revealing that the generation change is steadily progressing. rice field.
In the future, it will be necessary for the Japanese swimming team to further strengthen the top athletes and at the same time promote the growth of young athletes who threaten the position of the top athletes and improve their domestic competitiveness.
Challenges for artistic swimming
In addition, artistic swimming, which won seven medals, the highest number ever in the world championships, still has challenges for future strengthening.
Yukiko Inui, who devoted herself to her solo, achieved two crowns.
In the mixed duet, a pair of Yuka Sato and her younger brother Yotaro made a great struggle with two silver medals, both of which were not Olympic events.
On the other hand, for the events held at the Olympic Games, the team won a silver medal in the technical routine and a bronze medal in the free routine.
In the duet, Megumu Yoshida and Moe Higa, a third-year junior high school student, made a pair and finished 4th in the technical routine.
Looking ahead to the Olympics, the fact that Russia was unable to outperform its rivals China and Ukraine in this tournament, which has not participated, indicates that there are challenges in raising Japan's ranking in the international tournament.
Head coach Takako Nakajima, who took office after the Tokyo Olympics, said, "Anyway, the speed at which you step out of the water and raise it is inferior to the world's top. I was analyzing the issues found through this tournament.