Jinnosuke also rises

Suzuki

Jinnosuke Suzuki made up for a sub-par 100m freestyle by resetting the CNMI national record in the 200m freestyle in Day 6 of the 2022 FINA World Championships last Saturday in Melbourne.

The Team NMI captain swam the 200m freestyle in 1:56.27 to eclipse his own record and in the process also received 624 FINA points. 

“I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a best time for my 100m freestyle but I am glad that I was able to make it up by getting my best time on the 200m freestyle. I went out pretty fast on the first 50m of the 200m and was able to keep a steady pace after that. I am satisfied with my overall results,” said
Suzuki.

CNMI national swimming coach Hiroyuki Kimura is proud that his ward was able to conquer the pressure and stress after not performing up to par in his first event.

“He broke his personal best time from Abu Dhabi and that means he updated his NMI record. Jinnosuke is the captain of this team. He really worked hard for the team on this trip. But unfortunately, he failed to reach his goal in the 100m freestyle. So, he felt a huge pressure to do his best in his last event, the 200m freestyle,” he said 
The Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center head coach said Suzuki resetting his record in the 200m freestyle came after a dip in the swimmer’s performance the past months. 

“Jinnosuke lost his motivation after his non-selection to the Budapest World Championships last summer. Since then, his performance went down. His result times every practice went slower. I’m sure it took extraordinary mental strength from him to update his personal best time,” said Kimura.

Isaiah Aleksenko and Maria Batallones also continued their excellent performances in the Land Down Under.

Aleksenko’s 100m butterfly time of 54.55 broke his own NMI record in the event and was equivalent to the Japan Junior Olympic Final (15-16) time. 

“From now on, we will target the World Junior Record (18-and-under). I think that will be the next challenge. As his coach, I believe there is a possibility,” said Kimura.

As for Batallones, she swam the 50m breaststroke in an equally impressive time of 34.58 to break her own record.

“I’ve never known an NMI female swimmer who can cut 36 seconds whether it’s for the long course or the short course. Her FINA points of 563 is also the highest FINA points in the past 10 years for an NMI female swimmer.

Shoko Litulumar is the fourth member of Team NMI in the 2022 FINA World Championships.