The Japanese Aquatic Awards were held on January 25th in Tokyo and honored those athletes within the disciplines of swimming, synchronized swimming, water polo, diving and water polo who made the greatest impact during 2015.
During the event organized by the Japan Swimming Federation and held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, World Champion Kanako Watanabe nabbed her nation’s Swimmer of the Year award, after a breakout performance across two events at the 2015 FINA World Championshps.
Watanabe first made her mark at the meet in Kazan by bringing hom the gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke race, what is becoming her signature event. But at the meet in Kazan, Watanabe didn’t just stop at breaststroke. The 19-year-old also added an individual silver medal at the World Championships, finishing second in the 200m IM event.
In accomplishing the feat, Watanabe became the first breaststroke medalist to also medal outside of breaststroke events at a World Championships since America’s Eric Shanteau did so in 2009. He also doubled up on the 200m breast and 200m IM events.
Upon receiving her award, Watanabe succinctly said, “I will do my best to take the best medal at the Rio Olympics.”
Watanabe is already proving herself to be a major threat headed into the final stretch towards Rio. She currently holds the top time in the world in the 200m breaststroke event and is ranked 5th in 100m breaststroke. The Japanese Olympic Trials are scheduled to be held April 3-10th.