2026 JAPANESE SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2026 Japanese Short Course Championships began today in Saga Prefecture, with the three-day affair representing a primary opportunity for the nation’s swimmers to qualify for this year’s Short Course World Championships.
We’ve published the myriad of records that have gone down on just day one of the competition, highlighted by 17-year-old Yusei Imaizumi‘s new World Junior Record in the men’s 100m breaststroke (55.82).
Additional significant performances included Kaito Tabuchi registering new JPN records in the 800m free and 1500m free, along with Kosuke Makino‘s Asian Record in the men’s 100m IM and Kotomi Kato‘s national record in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
Further down the line, World Championships bronze medalist Tatsuya Murasa clocked a time of 1:41.89 to take the men’s 200m freestyle, hitting the sole time of the field under the 1:42 barrier.
On his way to gold, 19-year-old Murasa turned in a new Japanese University Record of 1:41.89 to beat the field by nearly two seconds.
Snagging silver was Katsuhiro Matsumoto, who hit 1:42.60, followed by Raito Numata who logged 1:42.98, good enough for bronze.
As for Murasa, his best time entering this competition rested at the 1:42.14 nabbed at the 2024 edition of this competition. That means, in a span of two years, Murasa managed to drop nearly half a second en route to establishing the new UR in the event.
The Japanese national remains at the 1:41.29 Matsumoto put up at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.
The Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF) set the SC World Championships qualifying standard at a mark of 1:42.84, which means both Murasa and Matsumoto made the cut for Beijing.
Additional Notes
- The women’s 100m back saw University of Tennessee swimmer Mizuki Hirai top the podium, producing a mark of 56.85 as the sole swimmer of the field to venture under the 57-second barrier. Kyoka Sawa was next to the wall in 57.44, followed by Tomoko Takeba who rounded out the podium in 57.59. The women were chasing a JASF selection standard of 56.17, which no one met. However, the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard stands at 57.52, which means Hirai and Sawa may still be selected for Beijing.
- Kodai Nishiono earned the top spot in the men’s 100m back as a follow-up to his 200m back gold medal at last month’s Asian Games. Tonight, Nishiono produced 50.88 to gain the gold by the narrowest of margins, as Daiki Yanagawa settled for silver only .01 behind in 50.89. Haruki Kariya also landed on the podium in 51.12, good enough for bronze.
- Hiroko Makino earned yet another national title, this time in the women’s SCM 200 fly. She hit 2:04.91 to eke out the win ahead of Umi Ishizuka, who touched only a hair behind in 2:04.94. Hanane Hironaka clocked 2:06.29 to place 3rd in the race.
- Olympic silver medalist Tomoyuki Matsushita made his presence known in the men’s 200m fly, reaping gold in a mark of 1:49.61. That’s a head-turning lifetime best for the Asian Games champion, who now becomes Japan’s 4th-fastest man in history in the event.
