Swimming

34-Yr-Old Ryosuke Irie Misses Out On 5th Olympic Games Appearance

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By Retta Race on SwimSwam

Ryosuke Irie Courtesy of Mine Kasapoglu for ISL With permission

2024 JAPANESE OLYMPIC TRIALS

Unfortunately for fans of 34-year-old Ryosuke Irie, the racing mainstay missed his final chance of making a 5th Olympic Games appearance.

Racing on day 6 of the 2024 Japanese Olympic Trials, Irie clocked a time of 1:58.37 to bag bronze in the men’s 200m backstroke, well short of the 1:56.92 selection standard set by the Japanese Swimming Federation (JASF).

19-year-old Hidekazu Takehara topped the podium in 1:56.28, beating the QT while Keita Sunama fell just .09 shy en route to silver.

Irie was 2nd in the 100 back (54.10) on night three of this competition, but missed the qualification standard of 53.21. He clocked 53.46 at the Asian Games in September but wasn’t able to near that mark here in Tokyo.

After the race, Irie stated, “I did what I could. In the end, I held my breath and swam.

“There’s nothing I can say right away. In the end, I want to praise myself. I’ve been a competitive swimmer all my life. It’s a shame.

He continued, “Many of them [qualifiers] are on the Olympic team for the first time, so I feel a generational change.

Regarding his career, Irie said, “There’s nothing left undone.” (Sponichi)

The veteran has been a constant on the elite international backstroking scene for nearly 20 years, representing Japan since 2006.

2023 Fukuoka marked Irie’s 8th consecutive long course World Championships appearance and he raced at a remarkable 4 Olympic Games. Only fellow Japanese swimmers Kosuke Kitajima and Takeshi Matsuda tie the 4 Games record.

Below are Irie’s career results as a testament to his longevity and consistency, despite falling short here in Tokyo,

Ryosuke Irie‘s Olympic Games Results in 100 Back

YEAR PLACE TIME
2008 N/A N/A
2012 Bronze 52.97
2016 7th 53.42
2020 9th 53.21

Ryosuke Irie‘s Olympic Games Results in 200 Back

YEAR PLACE TIME
2008 5th 1:55.72
2012 Silver 1:53.78
2016 8th 1:56.36
2020 7th 1:57.32

 

Ryosuke Irie‘s Long Course World Championships Results in 100 Back

YEAR PLACE TIME
2009 4th 52.73
2011 3rd 52.98
2013 4th 53.29
2015 6th 53.10
2017 4th 53.03
2019 6th 53.22
2022 7th 52.83
2023 18th 53.98

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Ryosuke Irie‘s Long Course World Championships Results in 200 Back

YEAR PLACE TIME
2009 2nd 1:52.51 *Current Asian Record
2011 2nd 1:54.11
2013 4th 1:55.07
2015 4th 1:54.81
2017 7th 1:56.35
2019 5th 1:56.52
2022 N/A N/A
2023 N/A N/A

SwimSwam: 34-Yr-Old Ryosuke Irie Misses Out On 5th Olympic Games Appearance

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