33-year-old Suzuki Satomi set to become Japan's oldest Olympic swimmer
Suzuki Satomi is proving never giving up pays off.
The 33-year-old breaststroker is set to become Japan’s oldest-ever Olympic swimmer, male or female, after securing a quota in the 200m at the Paris 2024 trials in Tokyo on Friday (22 March).
Suzuki touched the wall first in 2:23.09 to meet the qualifying time of 2:23.31, holding off Watanabe Kanako (2:23.55), who was eyeing what would’ve been her fourth Olympic Games.
Suzuki - who also clinched a spot at the Games in the 100m on Tuesday while achieving a personal best of 1:05.91 - was assured of her place in history after 34-year-old, four-time Olympian Irie Ryosuke, missed out in the men’s 200m backstroke earlier.
Irie failed to finish in the requisite top two, ending up third. Suzuki said Irie’s gutsy swim motivated her for her own race.
“I’m really, really happy,” Suzuki said as tears streamed down her face. “Watching him swim his heart out in the race before, I was so moved. I was in tears.
“That fired me up. I didn’t think about what I couldn’t do and managed to give it everything I have.”
Suzuki won three medals at London 2012 including a silver in the 200m, but never reached a final four years later in Rio 2016. She failed to make the team altogether at Tokyo 2020.
But Suzuki stuck with it, and is now set to lead the charge for Japan this summer, when she’ll be targeting her first Olympic medal in 12 years.
“I don’t need to be afraid. I found a way to meet the QT in the 200m so I hope I can rewrite my PB from London,” she said. “The work won’t be easy but that’s my bar.”
