Tomoyuki Matsushita Entering Rarified Air With 4:05 Breakthrough in 400 IM
Ever since Tomoyuki Matsushita graduated to senior-level international competition, he has reliably performed at his best when it counts. Matsushita was just a year removed from winning the world junior title in the 400 IM when he raced in the Olympic final in Paris. Not considered a medal contender entering the meet, Matsushita captured silver behind Leon Marchand in 4:08.62, edging out American Carson Foster at the finish.
Another runnerup finish behind Marchand followed at the 2025 World Championships, and in early 2026, Matsushita began clocking times few men had ever reached in history. His first performance in the 4:06 range came at the Japan Swim in March, making him the ninth-fastest man in history. He would reinforce those credentials in August at the Pan Pacific Championships, holding off Foster for gold in a tight finish while lowering his best time to 4:06.75. Matsushita also topped the 200 IM at that meet for a second gold.
Now, he has taken another massive step. At last week’s Japanese Intercollegiate Championships, Matsushita completed his signature event in 4:05.83. That knocked off the Asian record of 4:06.05 that Kosuke Hagino set on the way to gold at the 2016 Olympics.
The 21-year-old joins an extremely short list of swimmers to ever go faster: Marchand, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, with Chase Kalisz as the only other swimmer to go sub-4:06. Those four men plus Hagino, who now sits sixth-fastest in history, have accounted for the last six Olympic gold medals in the event plus eight world titles.
Account for all performances, and this latest blast from Matsushita ranks as the ninth-fastest in history. Of the eight faster swims, five were Marchand’s from the past five years while Phelps has two and Lochte one. Both of Phelps’ swims came during his legendary summer of 2008, with world-record-setting performances at the U.S. Olympic Trials and then the Beijing Games. Lochte, meanwhile, went 4:05.18 in winning gold at the London Games.
That means Matsushita now ranks ahead of any Phelps or Lochte performance from outside their absolute peak. Moreover, his time was the fastest ever recorded outside of a major international championship or domestic selection meet.
And in less than two weeks, Matsushita will have a chance for something even better when he races at the Asian Games in front of home fans in Tokyo. Matsushita will enter as the heavy favorite for gold medals in both individual medley events, with the 200-meter race on day one (Sunday, September 20) before he tackles his signature event two days later.
Swimming fans from around the world will be on high alert in that eight-lap medley race as he could continue to climb the rankings. Below are the top performances in history in the event, with those performances that have been the world record noted in italics.
- Leon Marchand (FRA), 4:02.50 – 2023 World Championships
- Leon Marchand (FRA), 4:02.95 – 2024 Olympics
- Michael Phelps (USA), 4:03.84 – 2008 Olympics
- Leon Marchand (FRA), 4:04.28 – 2022 World Championships
- Leon Marchand (FRA), 4:04.56 – 2026 French Championships
- Leon Marchand (FRA), 4:04.73 – 2025 World Championships
- Ryan Lochte (USA), 4:05.18 – 2012 Olympics
- Michael Phelps (USA), 4:05.25 – 2028 U.S. Olympic Trials
- Tomoyuki Matsushita (JPN), 4:05.83 – 2026 Japanese Intercollegiate Championships
- Chase Kalisz (USA), 4:05.90 – 2017 World Championships
- Kosuke Hagino (JPN) – 4:06.05 – 2016 Olympics
- Daiya Seto (JPN), 4:06.09 – 2020 Kosuke Kitajima Cup
- Laszlo Czeh (HUN), 4:06.16 – 2008 Olympic Games
- Michael Phelps (USA), 4:06.22 – 2007 World Championships
- Carson Foster (USA), 4:06.56 – 2002 World Championships/2023 World Championships (swum twice)
