Teen swimming star Rikako Ikee sliced a large chunk off her own Japan record in the women's 200-meter freestyle, clocking 1 minute 55.04 seconds to win the event at the Konami Open on Saturday in Tokyo.
The 17-year-old Ikee, competing in her first long-course meet of the year, beat her previous record by 1.29 seconds. It was the fifth national record she has set since the start of the year, including short-course marks.
"I never thought I'd lower the time so much," said Ikee, whose time would have won the silver medal at last summer's world championships. "I'm surprised."
Ikee prepped for the season by traveling alone to Australia in late January to train with world-class swimmers. "In every practice, I went all out," she said.
Ikee said she might have gone under 1:55 but overextended on her turns.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
