The 2024 Japanese Olympic Trials concluded last week from Tokyo with the competition representing the sole opportunity for the nation’s swimmers to qualify for this year’s Games in Paris.
Now that the dust has settled, a total of 27 swimmers have been named to the Japanese roster including 14 men and 13 women.
33-year-old Satomi Suzuki is the oldest athlete on the roster while the younger end of the spectrum includes 17-year-olds Mio Narita, Tatsuya Murasa, Mizuki Hirai.
A total of 13 swimmers will be first-time Olympians, including Yu Hanaguruma and Airi Mitsui.
National record holders Daiya Seto and Rikako Ikee are set to make their 3rd consecutive Olympic appearance.
Also of note is the fact that national head coach Norimasa Hirai has been named among the staff, marking his coming back into the fold after having served a suspension for behavior from last year’s World Championships.
I wish they would announce the events these athletes will compete in. Will swimmers with FINA A times who missed Japan’s QT but made the team in other events be allowed to compete in all their events? Are there any relay only swimmers?
Having watched the trials, the team has great all round coverage of events. Many I think will improve on their times by Olympics!
For me, it’s more about “1) can they do enough to squeak into the semis and finals, and 2) can they generate enough momentum early?”
During this Olympic Cycle, it felt like Japan, especially its veteran swimmers, miscalculated how fast they needed to go during the prelims and ended up 17th-20th, or couldn’t execute their game plan in the semis and ended up 10th-14th.
Also, while Yui Ohashi helped steady the ship in 2021 by winning the 400IM and the 200IM, the shock of Seto missing the final in the 400IM started a negative chain reaction, where star after star kept getting bounced early or finishing well outside medal contention (except for Honda, who won silver in the 200… Read more »