Tomoyuki Matsushita (center), winner of the men's 200-meter individual medley final, is flanked by runner-up Yumeki Kojima (left) and third-place finisher So Ogata at the Japan Swimming Championships on March 22, 2026, in Tokyo. (©KYODO)
Yumeki Kojima set two world junior records at the 101st Japan Swimming Championships, which wrapped up on Sunday, March 22 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The 17-year-old was clocked in 1 minute, 56.53 seconds in the men's 200-meter individual medley final on March 21. He broke Hungarian Hubert Kos' record (1:56.99), which he established at the 2021 European Swimming Championships.
Kojima was the runner-up in the 200 IM. Tomoyuki Matsushita, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist, won the race in 1:55.71.
On the final day of the national meet, Kojima placed second in the 400 IM final in 4:08.84, another world junior record. Matsushita was the winner in 4:06.93.
Swimming Records for Ohashi
Shin Ohashi, 17, also established a pair of world junior records at the swimming meet. He clocked 2:06.59 in the men's 200 breaststroke final on Saturday to complete a 100-200 sweep in that discipline. In doing so, he lowered his own world record in the 200 by 0.32 seconds.
Veteran swimmer Ippei Watanabe placed second in 2:08.57.
In the 100 breaststroke final, Ohashi triumphed in 58.67 seconds, producing his first world junior record of the meet on Thursday, March 19.
Results from the Japan Swimming Championships helped a number of athletes secure berths for the Pan Pacific Championships (August 12-15) in Irvine California, and the Asian Games (September 20-25) in Tokyo.
Figure Skating
Sakamoto in 1st Place After Short Program at World Championships
Kaori Sakamoto delivered a dazzling rendition of "Time to Say Goodbye" in the women's short program at the 2026 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague on Wednesday, March 25.
Sakamoto had a season-high score (79.31) for the short program. The three-time world champion, who will retire after this competition, sits in first place heading into Friday's free skate.
Also for Japan, Mone Chiba is in second place with 78.45 points and Ami Nakai, the bronze medalist at the Milan Cortina Olympics, is eighth in the Czech capital.
American Amber Glenn is in third place (72.65).
"There were a lot of people who traveled all the way to Prague to come and support me from Japan and from many other countries," Sakamoto told reporters on Wednesday.
"I did get a lot of power from their support and so I would like to tell them that their love made it through to me.
"But for me, I am a skater who wants to meet the expectations of people with the results that I get. So far [here], in the short program, I've been able to do that. So I'm very happy about that."
At the previous world championships, staged in 2025 in Boston, Sakamoto was the runner-up and Chiba finished third.
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Baseball
Cubs' Suzuki Opens the Season on Injured List
Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Monday, March 23) to begin the 2026 MLB season. Manager Craig Counsell confirmed the news on Monday.
Suzuki, who is in the final season of a five-year contract with the Cubs, sustained a right knee injury in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals against Venezuela on March 14. The injury occurred when he was thrown out at second base on a stolen-base attempt in the first inning.
He limped off the field and was later diagnosed with a minor strain of his posterior cruciate ligament.
In recent days, Suzuki has increased his physical activity in preparations for his return.
"I was worried in the beginning," Suzuki said through an interpreter, MLB.com reported. "But day to day, the pain's gone down and it's been feeling better each day. Obviously, you don't want to rush it, but I want to make sure it heals and then come back to the team."
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Sumo
Spring Basho Winner Kirishima Promoted to Ozeki
As expected Mongolian-born wrestler Kirishima was promoted to ozeki, sumo's second-highest rank, on Wednesday, March 25.
The Japan Sumo Association announced Kirishima's promotion three days after he won the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka. Competing as a sekiwake, Kirishima had a 12-3 record in the tourney.
The 29-year-old spent 11 tournaments below ozeki after producing results that didn't match the required standard (33 wins in a three-tournament span). He became an ozeki for the first time in 2023 and spent six tournaments at that rank.
"I'll make my best efforts aiming to reach greater heights," Kirishima was quoted as saying on Wednesday by Kyodo News. "I'm happy more than anything. I've been nervous ever since this morning."
Looking ahead, Kirishima said it's his goal to be promoted to yokozuna, sumo's highest rank.
The Summer Basho begins on May 10 in Tokyo.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
