The Japan Para Games, in which top domestic para swimmers participate, has started, and Chikako Ono, who won the gold medal at this year's world championships, won the women's 100-meter backstroke visually impaired class with a good time. .
The Japan Para Swimming Championships will be held at the "Yokohama International Swimming Pool" in Tsuzuki Ward, Yokohama City, for three days starting on the 17th, and top domestic athletes such as medalists from the Tokyo Paralympics will participate.
On the 17th of the first day, 27-year-old Chikako Ono, who won the gold medal in this event at the World Championships held in June, participated in the visually impaired class of the women's 100-meter backstroke.
Ono completed the first half of the 50 meters in the 40-second range, which is her task, and showed a good swim in the second half, and she marked a time of 1 minute 22.04 seconds, which is faster than the world championship. and won.
And in the men's 50m butterfly impairment class, 17-year-old world silver medalist Kaede Hyuga won the event with a time of 36.25 seconds thanks to her graceful swim.
In the intellectual disability class, 16-year-old first-year high school student Aira Kinoshita won the women's 200m freestyle with a time of 2:13.27, a new Japanese record, and also won the 100m backstroke. A new star made its presence felt.
Chikako Ono "I was thinking of improving my time compared to the World Championships"
Chikako Ono, who won the visually impaired class in the women's 100-meter backstroke, said, "I wanted to keep a steady tempo and at least improve my time at the World Championships. I think the fact that I entered the first half in the 40-second range is a point of progress.
Kaede Hinata "I will do my best not to lose to the strong Chinese players"
Kaede Hyuga, who won the men's 50-meter butterfly class with impaired motor function, said, "I feel frustrated because I didn't improve in the second half. Since the World Championships, I've been practicing to increase my speed up to 25 meters in the first half. As a result, the first half. I was able to swim fast, but I slowed down in the second half and ended up with a bad time,” he said, looking back on the race.
On top of that, she said, "My goal is to break the 35-second mark for the Paris Paralympics. In the next two years, I want to do my best so that I can swim as well as the strong Chinese swimmers." I was.
Aira Kinoshita "What I like about swimming is that if you do your best, you will get the best"
16-year-old Aira Kinoshita, who won the women's 200m freestyle class for intellectual disabilities in a new Japanese record time, began swimming at the age of 2 and currently belongs to the swimming club of a high school in Daito City, Osaka, where she practices. It means that they are overlapping.
Kinoshita said, "I'm happy because I set a new Japanese record. I don't think about the second half, and I think it's good that I can rush in from the first half, so I swam without putting too much effort into it. It's my favorite place to swim," he said.