The Paris Paralympic swimming representative selection competition has begun, with 21-year-old Mito Utsugi and 24-year-old Kota Kubota selected to represent the team for the second consecutive competition, and veteran Takayuki Suzuki qualifying for the sixth consecutive competition. I have been unofficially selected to represent the Paralympic Games.
The competition for the Paris Paralympics, which will be held for two days from the 9th in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture, will feature a total of 11 men and 10 women, excluding Naohide Yamaguchi, who has already been selected as a member of the national team. 21 players will compete for spots, and the players who surpass the dispatch criteria record will be selected to be on the national team.
On the first day, the 9th, Utsugi competed in the women's 100m breaststroke in the motor dysfunction class, and with her powerful strokes, she gained speed in the second half and set a new Asian record of 1 minute 25.23 seconds, earning her a place in the Paris Paralympics. I have been appointed as a representative.
Also, in the men's 100m backstroke motor dysfunction class, Kubota, silver medalist at last year's world championships, led the race with his powerful kicks, finishing in 1 minute 7.41 seconds and earning himself a spot on the Paralympic team. .
Utsugi and Kubota have decided to participate in their second consecutive Paralympic Games.
In addition, 37-year-old Takayuki Suzuki showed a good tempo swim using his whole body in the men's 50m freestyle class for motor dysfunction, and with a time of 37.86 seconds, he was selected to represent the Paralympics for the sixth consecutive Games. did.
On the other hand, Japan's ace Keiichi Kimura failed to break the standard record in the men's 50m freestyle and visually impaired class, and will aim to qualify for the national team in the men's 100m butterfly and men's 100m freestyle on the 10th.