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The nation of Japan has been a consistent force in the international swimming racing scene with the likes of Takeshi Matsuda, Kosuke Kitajima and Kosuke Hagino among its storied Olympic medal-earning history.
However, things have been looking on the bleaker side in recent years as a wave of talent to the tune of Olympic medalists Yui Ohashi and Ryosuke Irie announced their retirements combined with Japan’s worst Games appearance in the pool since a medal-less 1996 Atlanta.
But Japan’s arsenal of emerging athletes holds promise, with 17-year-old Kazushi Imafuku leading the charge in the men’s freestyle events.
Gaining traction as a 16-year-old in March 2023, Imafuku produced a new Japanese Junior High School Record of 14:54.00 in the SCM 1500 free. That turned heads after a lackluster Olympic Games in 2021 where only Ohashi Tomoru Honda came away with hardware.
At the same National JOC Tournament competition a year later, Imafuku turned in a time of 3:44.45 to take the SCM 400 free, establishing a new meet record in the process.
Demonstrating his skills weren’t limited to just the pool, Imafuku raced in the international open water arena, placing 3rd in the men’s 10k at the 2024 Australian Open Water Championships.
However, his breakthrough came this past spring when, still at 16, he topped the 1500m free podium at the 2024 Japanese Olympic Trials.
Imafuku clocked a time of 15:04.36, knocking about 9 seconds off his previous personal best, en route to registering a new Japanese High School Record.
Although he missed the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF)-mandated qualification time to add his name to the Paris roster, Imafuku’s victory marked his elite arrival and set the stage for August’s Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
There in Canberra, Australia, Imafuku battled with Luke Ellis, taking silver behind the American in the 800m free but elevated himself to gold medal status against Ellis in the 1500m free.
Imafuku’s effort of 14:59.97 marked his first-ever foray under the 15-minute barrier. In doing so he took over 5 seconds off American Olympic multi-medalist Bobby Finke‘s Junior Pan Pacs record of 15:05.29 set back in 2016.
As a 17-year-old, Imafuku ranks as Japan’s 5th-fastest 1500m performer of all time and swiftest since 2018.
Top 5 Japanese Men’s LCM 1500 Free Performers All-Time
- Kohei Yamamoto – 14:54.80, 2014
- Shogo Takeda – 14:55.42, 2018
- Ayatsugu Hirai – 14:56.10, 2015
- Yohsuke Miyamoto – 14:57.12, 2011
- Kazushi Imafuku – 14:59.97, 2024
His performance drew praise from Hagino who tweeted after Imafuku’s swim, “Use this experience to your advantage and lead the Japanese long-distance swimming world!”
日本の高校2年生今福選手が自己ベストでJr.パンパシフィックで15分切り！
この経験は糧になる、日本長距離競泳界を引っ張っていってくださいー！ https://t.co/Jh3ikV9NeT pic.twitter.com/1fxpWw6pg9— Kosuke Hagino (@haginokosuke) August 25, 2024
Imafuku is expected to race at the 2024 Japanese Short Course Championships which begin on Saturday, October 19th. The competition represents the qualification competition for December’s Short Course World Championships.