Ippei Watanabe Of Japan Breaks 200M Breaststroke World Record

Ippei Watanabe Breaks The 200M Breaststroke World Record with a time of 2:06.67, he also became the first swimmer to break the 2:07 barrier in the event.

Jan 29, 2017

Ippei Watanabe Of Japan Breaks 200M Breaststroke World Record

Ippei Watanabe of Japan became the first swimmer to ever eclipse the 2:07 barrier in the 200m breaststroke at the 2017 Kosuke Kitajima Cup in Tokyo on Sunday. The 19-year-old's new world record time of 2:06.67 beat the 2:07.01 set by Akihiro Yamaguchi way back in 2012.

"I'm very surprised, I didn't think I could break a world record," Watanabe said after his race, according to the Associated Press. "I want to become a swimmer who can keep breaking records."

After a breaking the Olympic Record during semifinals in Rio with a 2:07.22 and finishing a disappointing sixth in a tight final, Watanabe has made it clear that he will be the one to beat throughout the next quad.

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