Yui Ohashi, winner of two swimming gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, earned a chance to defend her Olympic 200-meter individual medley title in Paris on Sunday.
On the final day of Japan's qualifying trials at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Ohashi won the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 9.17 seconds, well inside the qualifying time of 2:10.70.
Shiho Matsumoto also earned a berth by finishing second in 2:09.90.
The top two finishers meeting each race's qualifying time, set by the Japan Swimming Federation, clinched Olympic spots in the eight-day trials.
"I got so nervous, but I was determined to give 100 percent and see what happens," said Ohashi, who won both the 200 and 400 IM at the Olympics in 2021 but missed out on a Paris berth in the 400 meters five days earlier.
"I was confident of swimming well over the second half," the 28-year-old added. "There were times I thought about giving up in my bid to make the Paris Olympics, but I've come this far with the support of people around me."
In the men's 100-meter butterfly, Katsuhiro Matsumoto and national record holder Naoki Mizunuma qualified for the Paris Games, touching the wall in 50.96 and 51.23 seconds, respectively.
Rikako Ikee won the women's 50-meter freestyle in 24.88 seconds, but her time was 0.33 outside the qualifying time.
The 23-year-old, known for her competitive comeback from leukemia, swam in three finals at the trials and earned a berth in the 100 butterfly.
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Swimming: Hirai, Ikee qualify for Olympics in 100 butterfly
