2024 Japan Olympic Trials
As Japan's 2024 Olympic Trials begin on Sunday, March 17th, we're taking a look at some of the key races taking place in Tokyo. Starting with the men's 200m breaststroke, we will now look at another domestic event, the women's 400m IM.
Racers include current Olympic champions Yui Ohashithe 28-year-old is fighting to defend her gold medal in not only the 200m IM, but also this 400m IM.
As for the long event, Ohashi took the podium in Tokyo with a time of 4 minutes 32.08 seconds. It was three years ago that Ohashi set a personal best and Japanese record time of 4 minutes, 3,082 seconds, ranking seventh on the all-time list.
However, in recent years, Ohashi has taken a step down in terms of performance. She placed fifth at the 2022 World Championships with a time of 4:37.99, and her fastest time in 2023 was Ohashi's 4:39.08 at the Japan Open last December. It was time.
Meanwhile, his teammates were on a roll. Mio Narita, Ageha Tanigawa and Waka Kobori It continues to rise to the upper crust.
Narita, 17, had a big 2022, winning gold in the 400m IM at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships and the World Junior Championships, setting a new meet record in the latter with a time of 4:37.78.
Continuing his momentum, the teenager won bronze at last year's Asian Games with a time of 4:38.77.
Narita's previous best time was 4 minutes 36.72 seconds, set at the 2022 Japan Championship World Championship Trial, setting a world junior record for a short period of time. This proved that she has the talent to clear the Japan Swimming Federation (JASF) Olympic selection standard of 4:38.53.
Tanigawa, 20, defeated Narita at the 2023 Asian Games to win the Hangzhou silver medal with a time of 4 minutes 35.65 seconds. This represented her personal best and placed her in the 4th slot on the all-time Japanese performers list. This effort made Tanigawa the third fastest swimmer in the world this season.
Although Kobori's career best of 4:39.06 is far behind her peers, the 23-year-old has continued to improve over time and deserves to be included in the 4IM conversation.
Primarily a mid-distance freestyler, Kobori has only raced this 4IM in the elite stage over the past four years, and his PR timeline is as follows:
- 2020 – 4:59.77
- 2021 – 4:43.35
- 2022 – 4:40.16
- 2023 – 4:39.06
