The competition to select swimmers for the Paris Olympics ended with eight days of heated competition. The Japanese competitive swimming team's performance in international competitions continues to be sluggish, and while several teenage swimmers have managed to get tickets to Paris, there is also the impression that their time has been sluggish, with no new Japanese records being set, and it has been about 4 years since the Olympics began. The question is how far you can strengthen in a month.
(Sports News Department Reporter Shohei Matsuyama)
table of contents
《Paris Olympics representative athlete (individual event)》
[Click here for full tournament results]
table of contents
table of contents
《Paris Olympics representative athlete (individual event)》
[Click here for full tournament results]
Young people are on the rise: “9 people will be in the first Olympics”
Rikako Ikee player
This selection for the national team attracted attention, with Rikako Ikee being selected to represent the Olympics in her first individual event after returning from illness, and veteran Satomi Suzuki, 33, winning a ticket to Paris in two events.
At this competition, 19 people, both male and female, were chosen to represent the individual events at the Paris Olympics, which was almost the same as the Japan Swimming Federation had originally expected.
Tomoyuki Matsushita
What stood out among them was the success of young swimmers.
In the men's 400m individual medley, 18-year-old Tomoyuki Matsushita defeated 29-year-old Daiya Seto to secure the first spot on the national team.
Women's 400m individual medley: 20-year-old Tanigawa and 17-year-old Narita
In addition
, 17-year-old Narita Minoru competed in the women's 400m individual medley
, and 17-year-old Hirai Mizuki also qualified for the national team in the women's 100m butterfly.There are three high school athletes, five teenagers, and even university students. Nine people won tickets to Paris.
Nearly half, nine, will be competing in the Olympics for the first time.
Ryosuke Irie, player not competing in 5 consecutive tournaments (right)
On the other hand, players such as 34-year-old Ryosuke Irie, who was aiming to participate in five consecutive Olympic Games, and Kyoko Watanabe, who was aiming for four consecutive Olympic Games, missed out on being selected to represent the team, giving an impression of a generational change.
Irie, who missed out on the national team, sent a message of encouragement.
Ryosuke Irie
: ``There were so many athletes competing in the Olympics for the first time, so it felt like a generational change.I hope the fresh team will do their best.''
Satomi Suzuki player
Satomi Suzuki, who will be competing in the Olympics for the first time in two years, expressed her intention to give back with her experience.
Satomi Suzuki
: “Are you still here? ``I'm sure you'll say that, but I intend to firmly lead the team, and I hope I can provide a good stimulus to the young players.''
Takayuki Umehara, chairman of the Japan Swimming Federation's swimming committee, spoke about the results.
Takayuki Umehara, Swimming Committee Chairman
: ``We started holding junior field trips and training camps soon after the coronavirus outbreak subsided, and I think that's starting to take off.It's great to see young athletes joining the national team. I'm really happy, and I want to build a team that coexists with veterans at the Paris Olympics."
“Records are sluggish” There are no new Japanese records
On the other hand, I have to say that my time was sluggish.
No new Japanese records were achieved at this tournament.
This was the first time this had happened since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games selection process, where the current selection system was adopted, in which athletes who beat the standard record and placed in the top two were selected to be on the Olympic team.
Furthermore, not a single athlete broke the ``Dispatch Standard Record I'', which is the time equivalent to winning a medal at the Olympics or World Championships since 2017.
Takayuki Umehara, Swimming Committee Chairman
: ``We shouldn't put too much pressure on them, but I think it's a little disappointing that the swimmers who were close to the ``Dispatch Standard Record I'' time couldn't reach the time this time. If we can shorten this, we will be a competitive team.We hope to surpass the new Japanese record in the four months leading up to the Olympics."
Young gold medal candidates in the world “Japan also needs to strengthen”
Looking around the world, France's Leon Marchand, the world record holder in the men's 400m individual medley, is 21 years old, and Canada's Summer McIntosh, who won gold in the women's two events at last year's world championships, is 17 years old. Young swimmers who are candidates for gold medals are emerging one after another.
Furthermore, countries such as China are sending out talented young players one after another, and it must be said that Japan's position on the international stage remains in a difficult situation.
In the period leading up to the Paris Olympics, the Japan Swimming Federation is planning to hold training camps in Japan and overseas and participate in competitions overseas, and the Japanese national team will work together to strengthen their skills.
With about four months left until the Olympics, and with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics, the future of Japanese competitive swimming will depend on how we can advance the bright promise of young athletes.
Ace Honda and 21-year-old Terakado men's 200m butterfly
《Paris Olympics representative athlete (individual event)》
◆Boys (9 people)
▽ Katsuo Matsumoto: 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly
▽ Shuichi Takehara: 200m backstroke
▽ Ippei Watanabe: 200m breaststroke ▽ Yu Hanagura: 200m breaststroke ▽
Naoki Mizunuma: 100m butterfly ▽ Akira Honda:
200m butterfly
▽
Genki Terakado: 200m butterfly
▽ Daiya Seto: 200m individual medley
▽ Tomoyuki Matsushita: 400m individual medley
◇Girls (10 people)
▽Satomi Suzuki: 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke
▽Reoki Aoki: 100m breaststroke ▽Mizuki
Hirai:
100m butterfly ▽Rikako Ikee: 100m butterfly ▽Airi Mitsui:
200m butterfly
▽Hiroko Makino: 200m butterfly
▽Yui Ohashi: 200m individual medley
▽Nobuho Matsumoto: 200m individual medley
▽Mio Narita: 400m individual medley
▽Akaha Tanigawa: 400m individual medley
[Click here for full tournament results]
[Full results of the first day] Swimming race Rikako Ikee advances to the finals in 1st place Olympic representative selection
[Full results of the second day] Hirai and Ikee go to the Olympics Women's 100m butterfly
[Full results of 3rd day] Matsumoto, Satomi Suzuki and others are offered offers to young people in Narita and Tanigawa
[Full results of the 4th day] Akira Honda, Rikako Ikee, Ippei Watanabe advance to the finals in 1st place
[Full results for day 5] Ippei Watanabe, Yu Hanagura, Genki Terakado, Akira Honda selected as representative
[Full results of the 6th day] Shuichi Takehara has been accepted, Ryosuke Irie has missed 5 consecutive tournaments
[Full results from day 7] Daiya Seto, 200m individual medley for third consecutive Olympics
[Full results for day 8] Yui Ohashi, Nobuho Matsumoto, Katsuo Matsumoto, Naoki Mizunuma has been offered an offer
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[Now streaming on NHK Plus] Swimming Paris Olympics representative selection meeting