2020 JAPAN SWIM
- Thursday, December 3rd – Sunday, December 6th
- Tokyo Aquatics Centre
- LCM (50m)
- Entries (in Japanese)
The 2020 Japan Swim originally scheduled for April of this year was set to be the nation’s sole qualifying opportunity for the Summer Olympic Games.
However, along with the coronavirus pandemic came the postponement and/or cancellation of sporting events around the world, including the Olympic Games themselves which are now set to being on July 23, 2021.
As we reported, Japan’s Olympic qualification timeline was adjusted in light of this new timeframe, which also moved the Japan Swim to December. It is now a non-qualifying competition, but an important racing opportunity nonetheless for Japanese swimmer to get some long course under their belts.
For many, this meet will be their first long course competition after having competed rapid-fire style in short course as members of the International Swimming League (ISL) team of the Tokyo Frog Kings. In its debut season, the Kings made it to the semifinals, but wound up 3rd place in their match behind winners Energy Standard and runners-up London Roar, thus seeing their season end.
As such, those not making it to the final as a member of one of the aforementioned teams or the other two competitors of Cali Condors and LA Current, are en route to their home bases with eyes on Tokyo 2020 (1).
When we’re nearer to the event, we’ll post a more detailed preview of this Japan Swim with the key races to watch. But for now, you can take stock of the sampling of entries we see in the upper echelons of the nation’s best.
Men
- Shinri Shioura – 50m/100m free
- Katsumi Nakamura– 50m/100m free
- Katsuo Matsumoto – 100m/200m/400m free, 100m fly
- Kosuke Hagino – 200m/400m free, 100m back, 200m/400m IM
- *Eddie Wang (TWN) – 200m free, 100m/200m fly
- Ryosuke Irie – 100m/200m back
- Junya Koga – 100m back
- Masato Sakai – 100m back, 200m fly
- Shoma Sato – 100m/200m breast
- Yasuhiro Koseki – 100m/200m breast
- Ippei Watanabe – 100m/200m breast
- Honda Tomoru – 100m/200m fly, 400m IM
- Nao Horomura – 100m/200m fly
- Shinnosuke Ishikawa – 100m/200m fly
- Takeshi Kawamoto – 100m fly
- Takeharu Fujirmoi – 200m/400m IM
Women
- Rika Omoto – 50m/100m free, 200m IM
- Chihiro Igarashi – 50m/100m/200/400m free
- Tomomi Aoki – 50m/100m/200m free
- Aya Sato – 50m/100m/200mfree
- Natsumi Sakai – 100m free, 100m/200m back
- Sachi Mochida – 100m free, 100m/200m fly
- Rio Shirai – 100m/200m free, 200m back
- Chinatsu Sato – 400m/800m/1500m free
- Miyu Namba – 400m/1500m free
- Waka Kobori – 400m/800m/1500m free
- Anna Konishi – 100m/200m back
- Miho Teramura – 100m breast, 200m IM
- Kanako Watanabe – 100m/200mbreast
- Reona Aoki – 100m/200m breast
- Runa Imai – 100m/200m breast
- Satomi Suzuki – 100m breast/200m breast
- Yui Ohashi – 200m breast, 200m/400m IM
- Sakiko Shimizu – 200m breast, 200m/400m IM
- Hiroko Makino – 100m fly
- Suzuka Hasegawa – 100m /200m fly
It’s crazy to me that Hagino didn’t swim a 200 or 400 free in any ISL meet when he has a long course WC silver in the 400.
I’m excited to see what Sakiko Shimizu does. She found new life in the ISL, posting PBs at 28 in some very tough events, and I don’t think she got enough kudos for how well she did because she always swam in the shadows of Ohashi and Hasegawa. She swam the 200 breast, 200 fly, and 400 IM every single meet and generally was no worse than 2nd in any event. Totally clutch for Tokyo.