By Karl Ortegon on SwimSwam
2017 LAUSANNE CUP
- Lausanne, Switzerland
- December 20-21, 2017
- Meet central
- Live results
Yui Ohashi, the 400 IM silver medalist at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, made mince meat of the Japanese record in the short course meters 400 IM. Swimming at the Lausanne Cup in Switzerland, she easily won the event, posting a time of 4:24.03.
Ohashi took down Sakiko Shimizu‘s record of 4:27.51 with Shimizu swimming right besides her. Shimizu would finish 2nd in the race in Lausanne, going a respectable 4:28.22, a time that would’ve challenged her old record, but looked pedestrian next to the new record-holder Ohashi.
The 22-year-old Ohashi, known for her immaculate stroke, split the race accordingly:
- Fly – 1:00.4o (28.21/32.19)
- Back – 1:06.53 (33.89/32.64)
- Breast – 1:15.60 (37.55/38.05)
- Free – 1:01.50 (31.33/30.17)
Ohashi nearly broke the Japanese record in the 200 IM at tonight’s finals session Lausanne, a 2:05.97 also held by Shimizu. Ohashi was 2:06.42, though, about a half second off of the mark.
With no clear American standout in the 400 IM long course, Ohashi’s improvement sets herself up for a major battle with Canadian IM’er Sydney Pickrem at the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships. In Budapest this summer, Pickrem beat Ohashi out for the bronze medal in this event by just under two seconds, but Ohashi’s time drops this week suggest she’ll have more to fight with this coming summer.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Yui Ohashi Annihilates Japanese Record in 400 IM at Lausanne Cup