Tomoyuki Matsushita Earns Silver Medal in the Men's 400-Meter IM

Like many of the more than 10,000 athletes competing at the Paris Olympics, Tomoyuki Matsushita will celebrate a birthday during the global sports extravaganza.

The Japanese swimmer will turn 19 on August 1, only four days after he collected the silver medal in the men's 400-meter individual medley final at Paris La Defense Arena. He'll definitely remember celebrating his birthday in France.

Matsushita will also certainly remember who excelled in the biggest swimming race of his life on Sunday night, July 28. France's Leon Marchand obliterated legend Michael Phelps' 400 IM Olympic record (4 minutes, 3.84 seconds) set at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Marchand led from start to finish and completed the race in 4:02.95 in Nanterre, France, a Paris suburb. He also owns the world record (4:02.50), which he set at the 2003 world championships in July 2023 in Fukuoka.

On Sunday, Matsushita was clocked in 4:08.62.

Carson Foster of the United States received the bronze medal (4:08.66). 

Also for Japan, three-time Olympian Daiya Seto finished seventh in the eight-man final in 4:11.78.

Pivotal Stretch of the Race for Tomoyuki Matsushita

Matsushita alternated between fifth, sixth and seventh place during the first 300 meters of the race. But after completing the butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke portions of the race, the Toyo University student demonstrated the strength of his freestyle swimming for the final 100 meters.

With 50 meters remaining, Matsushita was in fourth place.

And then over the final 50 meters, Matsushita swam his fastest 50 meters of the race (27.67 seconds) to clinch the runner-up spot. It was the fastest time among the eight participants in that part of the race.

The native of Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, indicated after the race that the focus that he places on freestyle swimming in his workouts paid off.

"I was absolutely certain that I was the strongest in the final freestyle leg," Matsushita was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. I'm glad I endured the tough training and worked hard."

Well-regarded swimming mentor Norimasa Hirai, retired four-time Olympic breaststroke gold medalist Kosuke Kitajima's longtime coach, has helped guide Matsushita on his path to success in aquatics.

A Sense of Accomplishment for Tomoyuki Matsushita

Achieving his goal of a 400 IM medal as an Olympic debutant is quite meaningful for Matsushita.

"I had to go through a lot of hardships before I got here, but I am really glad that I worked so hard. I am very happy," he said, according to NHK.

Looking back, Matsushita said perseverance and an effective racing strategy were important keys to success in Paris.

"Coach Hirai and I never wavered from our strengths the whole way, and I knew it was going to be a tough race in the last crawl," Matushita was quoted as saying by NHK. "So I believed in myself until the very end and did my best."

Hirai Places 7th in Women's 100-Meter Butterfly

Japanese teenager Mizuki Hirai finished seventh in the women's 100-meter butterfly final on Sunday night.

Hirai, 17, completed her specialty race in 57.19 seconds.

Americans Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh placed 1-2 in 55.59 and 55.63. China's Yufei Zhang nabbed the bronze (56.21).

Hirai got off to a slow start and was in eighth place at the midway point of the race. She was out of contention the rest of the way.

"I'm very disappointed that I was about one second slower than my personal best," Hirai said, reacting to her performance, according to Kyodo News. 

She continued by saying, "I wasn't in good condition to reach my full potential."

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• [ODDS and EVENS] Swimmer Yui Ohashi Shows the Timeless Value of Gratitude

Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.