2017 FINA WORLD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Sunday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 30th
- Budapest, Hungary
- LCM (50m)
- Full Competition Schedule
- Meet Info
- Psych Sheets
- Omega Results
- Pick ’em Contest
- Event-by-Event Previews
Prior to the 2017 World Championships, no Japanese woman had ever dipped beneath the 2:08 mark in the 200m IM event. That changed tonight in a big way as 21-year-old Yui Ohashi fired off a silver medal-winning time of 2:07.91 to claim runner-up status behind home favorite Katinka Hosszu of Hungary.
Entering Budapest, Ohashi already held her nation’s top time ever in the 400m IM event, a race in which she clocked a monster 4:31.42 at this spring’s Japan Swim. Her top 200m IM, however, rested at the 2:09.96 rendered at the Japan Swimming Championships. She smashed that personal best by 2 solid seconds with her time of 2:07.91 tonight, however, and also went well under the previous Japanese national record of 2:08.45, held by Kanako Watanabe. Watanabe earned that time with her silver medal finish at the 2015 edition of these championships in Kazan.
Comparison of splits:
28.73, 33.57, 36.04, 30.11 = 2:08.45, Kanako Watanabe, 2015
27.67, 32.62, 37.34, 30.28 = 2:07.91, Yui Ohashi, 2017
Ohashi overtook Watanabe right off the bat with a significantly faster front half. Ohashi was able to hold on to that speed and carry it into the finish, touching less than a second behind the most-often untouchable Hosszu. Ohashi and Hosszu will clash in the women’s 400m IM later in this meet, where they hold the top 2 seeds.
With tonight’s outing, Ohashi just became the 6th fastest performer ever in the 200m IM event.
| 1 | Katinka Hosszu | 2:06.12 |
| 2 | Ariana Kukors | 2:06.15 |
| 3 | Siobhan Marie O’Connor | 2:06.88 |
| 4 | Stephanie Rice | 2:07.03 |
| 5 | Ye Shiwen | 2:07.57 |
| 6 | Yui Ohashi | 2:07.91 |
| 7 | Alicia Coutts | 2:08.15 |
| 8 | Mireia Belmonte | 2:08.17 |
| 9 | Rika Omoyo | 2:08.21 |
| 10 | Qi Hui | 2:08.32 |
She looked so happy wishing her best of luck in the 400 and towards tokyo!
Nice to see her in great shape.
Hosszu’s scratches of 400free relay and 100bk and being almost 1sec down from her pb time in 200IM final may indicate that slow 2017 season means something more than just new way of preparation for the major meet of the year. The hugging of her husband right after race looked like a genuine celebration of 2:07 result. More Scratches are coming.
For sure Hosszu got a challenger.
Yui Ohasshu :
200IM: April – 2:09.96 (personal best); WC – 2:07.91
400IM: April – 4:31.42 (personal best); WC – isn’t it scary 🙂
Watch out, huge talent
Congratulations to a delightful young lady (see her reaction after getting silver), & of course to the Iron lady. Ohashi is up & coming for sure. Does anyone know what happened to Sydney Pickrem?
*that
I really think she can break 4:30 in the 400 I’m. I also think she can beat Hosszu, especially since Hosszu’s schedule may have torn her down by this point