25-year-old Japanese world champion Daiya Seto has announced via Instagram that his second daughter has been born. The new baby entered the world in March, but the fly and IM dynamo made the announcement just today, April 20th.
“Both mother and child are healthy and healthy,” reads Seto’s post.
“The coronavirus hasn’t stopped and the days of anxiety continue,” he notes. “But let’s all work together and endure.”
Seto married Yuka Mabuchi in 2017 after the ANA swimmer took Olympic bronze in the men’s 400m IM in Rio. The couple’s first daughter, Yuwa, was born in June 2018.
Fueled by so-called dad strength, Seto went on to break the SCM 200 butterfly and 400 IM events and snagged double gold at the 2019 World Championships in the IM events. Those podium-topping performances qualified the superstar for the 2020 Olympic Games, despite the Games’ postponement.
Seto took a while to come to terms with his upward trajectory’s detour. On April 10th we reported Seto’s sentiments of, “There was no way I could bring myself to talk about next year and honestly, I’m still struggling to pick up the pieces and regroup. Because of the coronavirus, I’m not training at all these days.
“Whether it’s next year or the year after that, I’m going to stay strong and build it back up slowly but surely in trying to win a gold medal, no matter what. It’s time for me to start again!” Seto said.
“The Olympics, to me, is the absolute dream and on par with nothing else. All the experiences, feelings I have had I owe to the Olympics.”
Of note, another Olympian and world champion, Great Britain’s Adam Peaty, announced this week he is set to become a father this September.
Congrats to Daddy Daiya!
2 children! Olympic gold for each!
Good for him that he manned up and married the mother of the two chillin. A class act who follows Japanese traditions.
Just to clarify (because your comment makes it seem like he got her pregnant and then married her to save face), he married her over a year before the first kid was born.
You are right. Seto got married in May 2017. His first daughter was born in June 2018. At the time of his marriage, his wife was still competing as a diver. She participated in the Summer Universiade held in August 2017, which was her last competition before retirement.
I know that – Dude
As I read your first comment, I got the impression that he had gotten her pregnant and then married her because of Japanese traditions, which I then looked up and learned that that wasn’t the case. Since it’s an important distinction and not everyone takes the time to look things up like I did, I decided to put it out there so that people were aware.
Pregnancy before marriage is still highly unacceptable in Japan nowadays. Hagino was bashed hard for getting married months latter than his wife’s pregnancy.
Japan has always been seen as the most high tech modern country in the world but traditional.
What is the source of your ill-advised comment please? Daya & Yuka married in May 2017 (very honorable) & their daughter was born 11 months later, also very honorable. Unless the baby was two months late, the math regarding your comment simply doesn’t add up. There is no issue of “manning up” here & thus no need to throw shade on a respected swimmer. Congratulations to the proud parents of these beautiful children.
Ill-advised comment? I know they were married before they had children. Do uotknow what is about your rant?
You said he “manned up and married the mother of his children.” He didn’t. That would mean that at least one child was born, and THEN he got married. What happened was “he married the woman he loved, and then they had kids.” It’s both judgey (why does it matter to you or anyone else whether they’re married or not?) and incorrect.
U da man Coach Mike!
Is there a new trend for swimmers I don’t know about?
I mean they are quarantined with their family 😉
My guess is that as the average age of elite swimmers goes up (and as swimming becomes a more financially viable sport), they’re more likely to feel ready to become parents.
man kids are tough though, how these guys are able to train hard while staying up all night with a crying baby amazes me, much much respect!!