Shin Ohashi Scorches World Junior Record of 2:07.27 in 200 Breaststroke
According to reports out of Japan, 16-year-old Shin Ohashi has broken the world junior record in the 200-meter breaststroke, clocking a time of 2:07.27 while racing in high school competition in Osaka. Ohashi’s time lowered the previous record of 2:08.04, posted by China’s Dong Zhihao at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. The fastest time by a junior swimmer remains the 2:07.01 of Japan’s Akihiro Yamaguchi in 2012, but that effort – which was a world record – was never ratified as a junior standard.
Ohashi has enjoyed a sensational 2025 campaign, having previously gone sub-2:10 on several occasions. During the Canet stop of the Mare Nostrum Series in Europe, Ohashi went 2:08.89. He chopped a considerable chunk from that performance during his latest effort.
En route to his pending world junior record, Ohashi was out in 28.23 for the opening 50 meters and came through the midway point of the race in 1:00.53. He split 1:33.44 at the 150-meter mark and covered his last lap in 33.83.
Despite his standout showing in the 200 breaststroke, Ohashi will not be part of the Japanese squad that competes next month at the World Championships in Singapore. Ohashi did not qualify for the meet at the Japanese Trials, but is expected to be one of the leading performers in the 200 breaststroke on the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
