72ND NATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL OF JAPAN
- Friday, September 15th & Saturday, September 16th
- Matsuyama Pool, Central Park, Ehime Prefecture
- LCM
- Start Lists/Results (in Japanese)
While competing at this weekend’s National Sports Festival of Japan, 17-year-old sprinter Rikako Ikee lowered her own national record and World Junior Record in the 50m freestyle.
Entering the 72nd edition of this Festival, Ikee’s personal best and national record stood at the 24.48 she produced at the Konami Open earlier this year. At the time, that mark represented the World Junior Record, but Ikee hacked another .15 off of that outing to win the 50m free event tonight in a monster 24.33, the only sub-25 mark of the field.
At just 17 years of age, Ikee holds the Japanese national LCM records across the 50m/100m/200m freestyle and 50m/100m butterfly events. Her most recent international competitions include both the Senior and Junior World Championships this past summer. At the former, Ikee was able to score a sub-25 outing in the 50m free semi-finals with a mark of 24.94 to finish 16th in the event. Her highest finish in Budapest came in the form of her 100m butterfly time of 57.08 that rendered her in 6th place in that race final.
In Indy, Japan’s golden girl nabbed 3 individual World Junior titles, taking the top prize in the 50m fly (25.46), 100m butterfly (57.25) and the 50m freestyle in 24.59.
With the Tokyo Olympics now just over 1000 days away, Ikee’s trajectory has the teen on a path towards host country glory come 2020.
Has there ever been a Japanese female swimmer that was ranked in some many events?
She’ll be the one that the Japanese will put their hopes on for some medals in Tokyo 2020. The freestyle and butterfly are very competitive events. She’ll have a couple years to try to get to the Top 3 level.
Probably not… Kanako Watanabe had a lot of potential in Free & Back, but only really made big efforts in breast & IM. Yui Ohashi could challenge – Very versatile.
The only one??
The Japanese seem to have a theme: Only their swimmers who aren’t world class seem to swim numerous events. IMers aside, of course. Brits can be the same. I always notice this at US GP meets, even the top swimmers are happy to chuck in a few weird events and finish 30th. Once in a while, when you do that, you get a Leah Smith (IM) or a James Guy (Butterfly) who uncover huge potential in other events almost by chance.
Ikee is excellent at both the 50 and 100 fly, maybe even a touch better in the 100 fly. Yet her 50 free is much better than her 100 free, despite the fact that she has an excellent 200 free. I wonder why. I’d speculate that it’s her freestyle breathing (since you can pretty much hold your breath for a 50 free), but her 1:56 200 free puts that theory to rest.
Feels like Ikee breaks a WJR at every meet–usually one of her own WJRs, too. Amazing!
They had to “shrink” the competition schedule from three-day to two-day due to a typhoon. Considering last minute change in schedule, she did amazing again!
Rikako Ikee has another WJ record in 200 Individual Medley. Japan definitely benefits having the LCM season longer. USA- super good swimming, but I personally think if we go SCM instead of SCY, we will do much better in LCM.
I agree, but that won’t happen any time soon. There aren’t enough SCM pools in the US.
Yes. Too bad everywhere else pretty much – meters, Asia, Europe and Oceania…and Canada.
I saw the photos of this competition… heavy rain and windy condition due to the typhoon, and she still did it only two weeks after WJ!
Interesting, was it an outdoor pool? If so, it’s possible that the effect of weather was positive. What were the times behind her like, relative to PBs & form? The men’s wasn’t too fast at all though, so I’d guess this is legitimate, pretty impressive!