The swimming competition of the National Sports Festival and the National Sports Festival was held in Utsunomiya City, and 32-year-old Ryosuke Irie, who has announced that he will continue to play with the aim of participating in the Paris Olympics the year after next, won the men's 100-meter backstroke.
The national polity, which will be held for the first time in three years due to the influence of the new coronavirus, will be held as a ``pre-event competition'' from the 10th of this month, and the swimming race will be held on the 17th, before the opening on October 1st. started in Utsunomiya City.
Of the competitions held on the 18th, in the final of the adult men's 100-meter backstroke, Irie, who finished 7th at the world championships this year, participated as a representative of Tokyo.
The 32-year-old Irie, who has announced that she will continue to compete in the Paris Olympics the year after next, was the first race since the World Championships, but in the final, she swam at a good tempo from beginning to end and finished 2nd. He won the race with a time of 53.00 seconds, more than a second behind.
Rikako Ikee, representing Tokyo, participated in the adult women's 100m freestyle final.
Ikee started late in the first half and came back in 7th place, and although she caught up in the second half, she fell short of the first place by 0.04 seconds and finished 2nd in 54.76 seconds.
After this, Ikee participated in the final of the adult women's 200m relay as the fourth swimmer representing Tokyo, and she marked 24.48 seconds.
The Tokyo representative won the championship with a new tournament record of 1:40.21.
Ryosuke Irie "Strengthening looking ahead two years later"
Ryosuke Irie, who won the adult men's 100-meter backstroke, looked back, saying, "It was the first time in 10 years that I participated in the National Sports Festival, so I was able to enjoy the feeling of the National Sports Festival for the first time in a long time, and I was able to have a good race."
Regarding his intention to participate in the Paris Olympics the year after next, he said, "I can't just divide the year from now on. I think I have to strengthen myself with an eye on the next two years. As for whether I am 100% ready for the Paris Olympics, there are still some parts that I am not ready for, but I want to motivate myself.”
Rikako Ikee "Actively from the first half"
After the race, Rikako Ikee said with a smile about her victory in the adult women's 200m relay, "I was aiming for the tournament record, so I'm glad I broke it."
Regarding the 100-meter freestyle, where she came in second, she said, "In terms of time, not only I but also the other athletes didn't improve much, so I'm not disappointed, but overall the level of the race was low." she reflected.
After that, "I said that I was not aiming for the championship after the qualifying, but it became a reality. However, I could see the part to strengthen, and until now I was competing in the second half, but how aggressively do you go from the first half? I learned in a year whether it is important, so I would like to strengthen it in the future."