Japan’s 17-year-old swimmer Yumeki Kojima expressed determination to narrow the gap with French world record holder Leon Marchand ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, following his gold-medal performance at the Asian Games in Tokyo. Kojima clocked an Asian Games record time of 4:07.02 in the men’s 400m individual medley on Tuesday, overtaking compatriot Tomoyuki Matsushita by 2.62 seconds. The French swimmer was present to witness the race.
Although Kojima’s time remains significantly slower than Marchand’s world record of 4:02.50, the young Japanese athlete stated that Marchand is his primary target as he aims to improve incrementally and eventually surpass the French star. Kojima’s strategy during the race involved a steady approach, focusing on maintaining composure rather than rushing, a factor he credited for his victory. He also described his win as a form of redemption after a narrow loss to Matsushita in the 200m individual medley earlier in the competition.
Matsushita, who secured gold in the 200m individual medley, led the 400m race through the breaststroke segment before Kojima closed the gap in the final freestyle leg. Matsushita acknowledged the loss but emphasized the value of learning from such experiences, which he said help him return to consistent, focused training.
Leon Marchand had earlier indicated that Japanese swimmers are his most formidable challengers for Olympic gold, describing mixed feelings of stress and apprehension about competing against them. In addition to Matsushita, Marchand singled out another promising rival from Japan, breaststroker Shin Ohashi, who recently claimed the 100m breaststroke gold at the Asian Games. Ohashi, part of Japan's 4x100m medley relay team that finished second to China, welcomed Marchand’s recognition and expressed motivation to improve further to compete effectively against him in Los Angeles.
The rivalry between Marchand and Japanese swimmers Kojima, Matsushita, and Ohashi sets the stage for a highly competitive showdown at the upcoming Olympics, with all athletes committed to honing their performances over the next two years.