A competition in which top swimmers participate began in Tokyo, and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Akari Honda won his first race in the men's 200-meter butterfly.
The "Kitajima Kosuke Cup", in which the top domestic swimmers participate, started on the 20th at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Koto-ku, Tokyo. Honda, who won the silver medal, participated in the first competition this year.
At last month's tournament, Honda marked a personal best of 0.17 seconds, approaching the Japanese record of 1:52.53, and entered the race with the aim of breaking the Japanese record.
He jumped aggressively from the start and turned the first half into the lead with a powerful stroke.
However, he lacked improvement in the second half and won the race with a time of 1'53.63, just over a second slower than the Japanese record.
Honda, who had been practicing until last week, said after the race, "I'm always aiming for the best, so to be honest, there are some regrets, but I'm confident that I was able to swim in the 1 minute 53 seconds range, even though my body was tight. I think it's fine," he recalled.
On top of that, "This year will be the World Championships and Asian Games in Fukuoka, and it will be a year before the Paris Olympics, so it will be an important year to see how far I can raise my level. I have a strong desire to put out a 1:51 mark. I have it, so I want to make it a good year,” he was enthusiastic.