Japan’s most recent breaststroke champion, Kosuke Kitajima, is one of the nation’s most celebrated sportsmen. In 2023, Ippei Watanabe is honoured to follow in that tradition as he tackles a home World Championships in Fukuoka.

Coming into the World Aquatics Championships - Fukuoka 2023, former 200m breaststroke world record holder Ippei Watanabe is one of Japan’s best chances for a gold medal when he tackles the 200m breaststroke final on July 28. Around the city, his face is on many of the promotional posters for the event as he returns to his home region of Kyushu.

Japan will also be represented in the event by the third-fastest man of all-time in 22-year-old Shoma Sato. Their presence as two of the best 200m breaststrokers in the world holds a lot of power and responsibility in Japan.

“I think this is a great chance to show the strength of Japan in the 200m breaststroke yet once again,” Watanabe told World Aquatics through a translator. “I am very proud and happy to be able to follow in the footsteps of the greats like Kosuke Kitajima with his double in the breaststrokes and it has set the bar very high in which we are expected to do real well in the breaststrokes.

“So going into Fukuoka this year, both myself and Sato-san do hold 200m breaststroke times in the 2:06 range. It is certainly a realistic prospect that both of us get on the podium and that is certainly what we want to do.”

Each year, the Japanese Swimming Federation puts on the Kitajima Cup, a national-level meet held in Tokyo named after the four-time Olympic gold medalist. The last event on the last day of the meet: the men’s 200m breaststroke. The event holds a lot of importance in the nation which has long been one of the swimming powers.

Coming into these World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, the men’s 200m breaststroke will again be one of the premiere events for the Japanese crowd. Watanabe is tied for second in the world this year amongst those qualified for the championships, and he has had a rocky journey to get here.

At the 2017 Kitajima Cup, Watanabe became the first man to break 2:07 in the four-lap event when he set the world record at 2:06.67. He was coming off a Rio Olympics where he was fifth in the 200m breaststroke final and just a tenth of a second off the podium.

After breaking the world record, Watanabe remained one of the top breaststrokers in the world, sitting third in the world rankings in 2018 after winning Pan Pacs.

At the World Aquatics Championships - Gwangju 2019, Watanabe lost his world record to the hands of Anton Chupkov at 2:06.12, but was a part of one of the fastest fields ever assembled. 

Matthew Wilson of Australia won the silver at 2:06.68 and Watanabe won the bronze at 2:06.73. Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook was fourth at 2:07.36.

The event was brought to new heights and a showdown at the Tokyo Olympics between these four was building.

But the Games were postponed a whole year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it changed the trajectory of those involved.

In 2021, Watanabe had the second fastest time in Japan in the 200m breaststroke, but he was third at the Olympic Trials and had to watch the Olympic final from home, where Stubblety-Cook captured the gold medal for Australia.

Since then, Stubblety-Cook has gone on a winning streak that is ongoing, winning last year’s World and Commonwealth titles to cap off a season where he broke the world record at 2:05.95.

Now this year, Stubblety-Cook returns to the country where he won the sport’s ultimate prize, and is fully aware of the importance of the event for the nation.

“It’s arguably the home of breaststroke and it is always exciting to go back there,” Stubblety-Cook said of Japan. “You go to the Japan Open and the 100m freestyle is not the blue ribbon event, it’s the 200m breaststroke. It’s kind of cool to be in that environment for me.”

Watanabe comes in as one of the top challengers to take down the world record holder and reigning Olympic champion. He was understandably disappointed to miss a home Olympics, but he changed his environment after 2021, switching coaches to train with Naoki Takashiro in Tokyo near Shinjuku, who most notably coached 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Ryo Tateishi.

“I am now training with a team that includes four to five experienced Olympians,” Watanabe told World Aquatics through a translator. “The training itself is conducted at a high level and perhaps most importantly, coach Takashiro’s philosophy towards training is you have to come to the pool smiling. You have to enjoy swimming and the process, and I believe that has really led to the success I have had recently.”

Watanabe’s change in his approach to swimming helped him get back on the team for the World Championships in 2023. Watanabe swam against a stacked field at the Tokyo Olympic pool, taking down the third fastest man all-time Shoma Sato and reigning Worlds silver medalist Yu Hanaguruma to secure a spot on his third Worlds team at age 26.

The 200m Breaststroke in Fukuoka

The World Championships will be returning to Fukuoka for the first time in 22 years in the same venue where Kitajima won his first major international medal - a bronze in the 200m breaststroke at the 2001 Worlds.

After having no spectators at a home Olympics in 2020, the Japanese swimmers will finally get their chance at a home championship with fans, something that isn’t lost on Watanabe.

“I aspire to recreate the same level of excitement as 22 years ago, and to take it even further,” Watanabe told Japanese media on Friday. “Considering the best laps of the swimmers in the men’s 200m breaststroke, it is expected that Shoma Sato and I will take a lead in the first half. Even with that in mind, I think it will be one of the most exciting races for the home crowd. Aiming to secure the double podiums for our country, I will do my best to revive Japan’s speciality."

The 200m breaststroke doesn’t have a clear favourite this year. France’s Leon Marchand is the top seed at 2:06.59 this year, but his presence on the start list is not guaranteed as he may scratch to focus on the 200m IM. After Marchand, Watanabe is tied for second alongside China’s Qin Haiyang (2:07.55) with USA’s Matt Fallon (2:07.71), Australia’s Stubblety-Cook (2:07.86), and Japan’s Sato (2:08.21) within striking distance.

After two straight bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, Watanabe is eager to get back on the podium and challenge for the top step as he told Japanese media on Friday that he believes he has trained harder than anyone else this season.

“Back in 2017 when I went 2:06 in the 200m breaststroke, I felt like I was a clear leader but since then, three or four other rivals have come up to similar levels,” Watanabe told World Aquatics. “Certainly last year with (Stubblety)-Cook going 2:05 - he has taken things to the next step. I think that now we have a very realistic shot in breaking the world record in this race. It will probably be done with multiple athletes going 2:05 or faster, and having each of us push each other to the next level.”

Being the top 200m breaststroker in Japan comes with its territory, and it will be one of the marquee finals on July 28 as four-time Olympic champion Kosuke Kitajima is expected to hand out the medals for the event.

“I believe that the 200m breaststroke is an event with a lot of scrutiny and interest from all over the world but I am coming into this race as the challenger. (Stubblety)-Cook is already there and I don’t really feel a lot of pressure around me but rather I can take the race and dictate my own turns and push through. That’s my game plan.”