A domestic competition featuring top competitive swimmers was held in Tokyo, and in the men's 100m backstroke, 34-year-old Ryosuke Irie, who is aiming to participate in his fifth consecutive Olympics, won the championship and will be selected as a representative for the Paris Olympics to be held in March. This gave momentum to the meeting.
The ``Konami Open'' swimming competition was held at the Tokyo Aquatics Center in Koto-ku, Tokyo over a two-day period starting from the 17th, and was a venue for Japan's top swimmers to prepare for the national selection for the Paris Olympics next month. I participated.
In the men's 100m backstroke, Irie, a 34-year-old veteran, swam smoothly and took the top turn for the first 50m, then maintained his lead in the second half and won with a time of 53.84 seconds.
Irie's time was only in the 54-second range at the "Kosuke Kitajima Cup," which he participated in in January, but he practiced to increase his speed and was able to gain momentum toward his fifth consecutive Olympic appearance. .
In the women's 100m butterfly, 16-year-old high school student Mizuki Hirai gained speed from the first half with her signature kicking strength and won with a new tournament record of 57.51 seconds.
Furthermore, in the men's 200m breaststroke, 23-year-old Yamato Fukasawa beat former world record holder Ippei Watanabe and others to win with a time of 2:07.07, also a new tournament record, and earn his ticket to Paris. The newly emerging players showed their strength in preparation for the big challenge.
Irie: ``I want to prepare my body and mind for the national team selection''
Ryosuke Irie, who won the men's 100m backstroke, said, ``I'm glad I got a time in the 53-second range.I still don't have a good sense of the race, but it was a fair performance.I lacked a little improvement in the second half, so , I want to improve my speed even more from now on."
Looking ahead to the national team trials in March, he said, ``I think it's going to be a pressure-filled tournament for all athletes, but I want to prepare my body and mind for the tournament.I think it will be my last time participating in the Olympic trials, so I'll take on that pressure to the fullest.'' "I want to enjoy the experience and get through it properly," he said with enthusiasm.