Swimmer Satomi Suzuki Still Evolving as a Veteran: “Still Aiming for the Record!”

Cleared the World Aquatics Championships Qualifying Standard

At the Konami Open (February 15–16), Satomi Suzuki (34, Miki House) competed in the women’s 100m breaststroke final, recording a time of 1:06.62, surpassing the qualifying standard (1:06.87) for the World Championships in July. She claimed two titles, including the 50m breaststroke. This marked her third consecutive victory in the event at the tournament, surpassing her previous times of 1:07.23 in 2023 and 1:07.42 in 2024 at the age of 34.

It is still early in the season, so the significance of this time may be limited. However, Suzuki’s expression was filled with satisfaction—so much so that she flashed a double peace sign at a longtime photographer right after the race (see photo below).

“I’m surprised myself. That said, though it may sound contradictory, I was able to balance tension and relaxation well, resulting in a powerful yet fluid swim. I think this was the outcome of keeping the March Japan Championships in mind, which also serve as the selection event for the World Championships, and swimming solidly.”

At last summer’s Paris Olympics, the Japanese swimming team had set a goal of winning multiple medals, including gold. However, they ended up with only one silver, won by Tomoyuki Matsushita (19) in the men’s 400m individual medley.

The swimming venue at the Paris Olympics was a temporary pool with a depth of 2.2 meters—80 cm shallower than the 3 meters that has become standard for recent international competitions. Pool depth affects starts and turns, but the Japanese team only learned this fact four days before the official practice sessions began.

Additionally, while it had been said that the swimming venue was a 40-minute bus ride from the Olympic Village, heavy traffic sometimes extended the one-way trip to nearly 90 minutes. Since both the preliminary rounds (morning) and semifinals (afternoon) were held on the same day, athletes had to travel back and forth twice daily. Some countries had even secured standby hotels near the venue to maintain optimal conditions for their athletes. Consequently, concerns were raised about Japan’s lack of preparation.

Amid these challenges, Suzuki, at 33 years old—the oldest swimmer in Japan’s Olympic history—provided a bright moment. Competing in her first Olympics in eight years, she advanced to the final in the women’s 200m breaststroke for the first time in 12 years and finished just shy of a medal in fourth place.

Suzuki is best remembered for her success at the 2012 London Olympics. Then a senior at Yamanashi Gakuin University, she won three medals—silver in the women’s 200m breaststroke, bronze in the 100m breaststroke, and bronze in the 400m medley relay—becoming the first Japanese female swimmer to achieve such a feat in a single Games. She instantly became a star in the swimming world.

However, she struggled afterward. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she competed in the 100m breaststroke but was eliminated in the semifinals. She did not even qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Even so, Suzuki clawed her way back from rock bottom, setting a new personal best in the 100m breaststroke for the first time in 14 years in 2023. She continued to break records in multiple events, and the article follows what happened to her after her inspiring performance in Paris.

“What, are you still going on?”

Suzuki’s Early Mornings in Kofu, Yamanashi

Suzuki’s day in Kofu, Yamanashi, starts early. She wakes up past 5 a.m., quickly eats a breakfast of rice with raw egg and natto, and by 6:30 a.m., she is already in the pool at her alma mater, Yamanashi Gakuin University, training alongside students. She completes two training sessions per day—one in the morning and one in the afternoon—and also dedicates time to weight training at the gym in between.

“The morning practice after a two-session training day is really tough. I could quit if I wanted to, but I find myself wondering why I don’t stop (laughs).”

Even though athletes’ careers have been extending in recent years, few swimmers continue competing past the age of 30. Having seen many of her peers retire, Suzuki has considered stepping away from the sport more than once.

“There were times when I thought maybe I should quit. I wondered if it would be better to get a regular job, contribute to society in a different way. I’ve also seen former teammates getting married and having children. But I can still train, I have no injuries, and when I race, I’m still faster than the student swimmers. Sometimes I find myself wondering, ‘When will I start to decline?’”

Suzuki initially intended for the Paris Olympics to be the culmination of her career. However, during the competition, she declared her intention to continue. This was largely because neither her coach nor her trainer ever brought up the idea of retirement.

“It felt like as long as I could still train properly, there was no need to stop. Even I was like, ‘Wait, I’m still going?’ And objectively, I do wonder, ‘How long am I going to keep doing this? (laughs).’ I did feel like I gave everything I had in Paris.

But—I didn’t set a new personal best, and I was just one step away from a medal in the 200m. If I had achieved a personal best and won a medal, I might have retired. But I felt a sense of unfinished business, and at the same time, I realized, ‘I can still aim for new records.’”

For a long time, Japanese swimming had been seen as a sport where athletes peaked in their teens, much like Kyoko Iwasaki, who won gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics at just 14 years old. However, Tadahiko Kanda, the head coach of the Yamanashi Gakuin University swim team who has trained Suzuki since her student days, disagrees with this notion.

“It’s not that swimmers can’t continue past their youth—it’s that there hasn’t been an environment where elite student swimmers could keep training after graduation. Competitive swimming is like marathon running; the amount of training directly translates to results. In the U.S., there have been swimmers who won medals even after turning 40. Suzuki has the support of her sponsor, Miki House, and she still has the drive to push herself in training. If the right environment is in place, we’ll see more athletes like her achieving results even as they age.”

Starting last fall, Suzuki increased her training volume from an average of 4,000–5,000 meters per session to 6,000–7,000 meters. She has already felt the benefits: “The fatigue I feel after a race is the least it has ever been.”

“It’s just a feeling, but even with the increased training load, I don’t feel as tired anymore. Of course, I do get fatigued, but I no longer reach the point of complete exhaustion after a race. It feels like all the training I’ve done is finally sinking into my body.”

At the Japan Championships, which began on March 20, Suzuki entered the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events and achieved a triple crown, securing spots in all three events for the national team.

This was her first triple crown victory in 15 years, since she was 19 in 2010. When asked how she feels about her age, Suzuki laughed and said:

“I don’t think about it at all!”

The ever-evolving veteran continues to provide valuable lessons for Japan’s swimming world.

“I feel that my body is getting used to the practice I’ve been putting in.”

From the March 28, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”