Two of the world’s fastest butterfliers ever will convene in Turkey next month as reigning world record holder Sarah Sjostrom and world junior record holder Rikako Ikee are set to train together in the city of Antalya.
Per Sports Hochi, the speedy pair will train together at Gloria Sports Arena, the home base of Energy Standard Swimming Club, of which Sjostrom is a member. Ikee is slated to visit approximately 10 days, although the schedule is fluid at this point. Ikee’s relatively new coach, Jiro Miki, reportedly has ties to Energy Standard coach James Gibson, from a previous stint in the UK, which is how this training trip came about.
Miki sees a golden opportunity to train with Olympic gold medalist Sjostrom, Ikee’s biggest butterfly rival at the moment, with the two maestros sitting 1 & 2 in the world rankings of both the women’s 100m and 50m fly events.
“To win the best player in the world, you have to know your opponent well,” Ikee says Coach Miki has conveyed to his 18-year-old protegé.
“I know her [Sjostrom’s] competitive strengths and weaknesses in the past two years, I know my strengths and weaknesses and I want to bridge the difference.”
While Sjostrom is kicking off her World Cup Series campaign in Kazan, Russia, Ikee is coming off one of the most impressive performances ever at an Asian Games. The teen captured 4 individual gold medals across the 50m/100m free and 50m/100m fly, along with 2 relay golds and 2 relay silvers in Jakarta. She was awarded MVP of the entire Asian Games, representing the first female to ever claim the honor.
Translation assistance provided by Rebecca Nishikawa- Roy.
Ikee’s statement seems a little bald-faced: I’m coming to spy on you so I can learn your weaknesses and beat you?? A lot of competitors have trained together — witness Paltrinieri training with Horton, or Sjostrom training with Campbell — but it’s usually done at least under the partial guise of friendship. Announcing your intentions like that seems a little less than diplomatic. And it doesn’t exactly encourage Sjostrom to either befriend or show her true training techniques to Ikee.
To expect Rikako Ikee to break Sarah Sjostrom’s world record in 100fly 55.48 is the same as to expect Simone Manuel and Bronte Campbell to break Sarah’s world record in 100 free. Both events most likely won’t happen.
Will Sjostrom break it? The history of her swimming career shows that improvements in freestyle and in fly haven’t coincided. Where will she pay more attention? I think she meets more challenge in freestyle. So unless Ikee or someone else shows improvement by swimming consistently under 56 she will stay in fly where she is now.
Yes, Sjostrom’s true competitors are the freestylers. She has been faster than 23.75 (Blume’s PB) in 50 free three times, faster than 52.03 (C1’s PB) in 100 free only once (and that was in relay). How many times has she been faster than 56.08 in 100 fly? So difficult to count.😃
I believe Sarah has gone sub-56.08 a total of 13 times in the 100 fly. 🙂
55.48 – 2016 Olympics
55.53 – 2017 Worlds
55.64 – 2015 Worlds
55.68 – 2016 Swim Open
55.74 sf – 2015 Worlds
55.76 – 2017 Mare Nostrum
55.77 sf – 2017 Worlds
55.84 sf – 2016 Olympics
55.89 – 2016 Euros
55.95 – 2016 SWE Champs
55.96 h – 2017 Worlds
56.04 – 2015 Sette Colli
56.06 – 2009 Worlds
Matches my list.
Exactly what weaknesses of Sjostrom is Ikee going to take advantage of? Scare her into going out fast and ‘apply pressure’ on the back-half like what happened in the 100 free in 2017? Sun Tzu aside, it just seems like a funny quote since swimming is ultimately your own race with only superficial interaction.
From the races I’ve seen, Ikee seems to be doing this race in a similar fashion to Sjostrom. I’ve seen her under WR pace after 50m, something this version of Sjostrom also usually is. It’s all about the last 25m, Sarah nailed that in Rio. They could be neck and neck all the race next season. But ultimately Ikee has one little step left to reach the same level. She’s up on her level this summer, but that’s a summer where Sjostrom has prioritized training and building.
Two together crashing the world record…setting the bar higher… I wish we could see something like that…training together inviting some top teams from different countries or visit theirs’. I know Japan does often with Australian team.
Yes!! Hope they can both learn a lot from each other and go 54 soon 😉