Matsushita triumphs over Foster, Finke in 400m IM
Tomoyuki Matsushita's Championship Record of 4:06.75 was enough to hold off Carson Foster and Bobby Finke of the United States to win the men's 400m individual medley at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
Video Transcript
Matsushita and Carson Foster here, Rowdy.
We have two thirds of the Olympic podium from Paris behind Leon Marchand We had the same thing in the women's 400 IM and now the men's 400 IM.
Pretty good field.
In fact, six of the nine fastest swimmers in the world this year all in this final.
Five of the 10 last year in the final.
I mean, this is a stellar field, led by that guy Matsushita.
Believe it or not, Foster has the best time of anybody in the field Take your marks He set that three years ago when he went 4:06.5.
Matsushita right behind him, though, Jason, 4:06.9, and he went that this year, fastest in the world In three of the four top times in the world this year from Japan.
And Rowdy, the top three in heats were all Japanese.
We've talked about only the top two from a country can make it to the A final.
Nishikawa tied for second in the heats with Yumeki Kojima, the world junior silver medalist.
They had a swim-off- Ridiculous Nishikawa w- won it.
Kojima was relegated to the B, but Nishikawa now with a third 400 IM on the day And again, that I'll go back.
It's not just the United States.
I think the three fastest swimmers from that 400 IM should have been included in the final.
So not just America.
Japanese can do this.
Canada can do this.
Australia has been able to be very strong in so many different events.
Now, let's get back to the race.
Right there, the two Americans.
You can see from above, high above, their backstroke are ve- are very good.
Bobby, back and free, the long ta- long axis strokes, very strong.
Carson Foster really doesn't have a weakness.
I mean, he is good throughout every single stroke World finalist in the 200 fly.
Went silver in the 200 fly already here at the Pan Pacs.
Foster right now tracking in second position behind Matsushita of Japan Incredible how this race is just that perfect intersection of fitness and execution and strategy.
So much goes in to the 400 IM.
I am always fascinated with these amazing athletes.
Two Americans right above, doing pretty good.
Halfway point, not a bad position to be in.
Not bad at all.
Now, Matsushita's best stroke is breaststroke, without question.
So Foster, unless he can kind of hang at his hip, gonna have to come from behind on the freestyle.
Let's see how close he can stay.
Bobby's weak stroke is breaststroke, but it's improved dramatically.
He's right above Carson Foster.
You can see him kind of lined up right there, one, two, three And right now it's Fink and Claiborne battling for third.
And Claiborne been in the Olympic final couple of times in his career.
Won the 2024 world gold in Doha, so he has pedigree.
A bunch of guys that have been in podium positions at big events in their careers poised to do it again.
Matsushita looking superb right now in lane four Yeah, but so is Foster.
I mean, Carson Foster is doing exactly what he needed to do.
Just keep it close.
Give himself a chance in the freestyle.
That's exactly what he's done.
This is arguably his weakest stroke, and he actually picked up on the strongest stroke of Matsushita The lead under a second.
The American going to charge right now here in freestyle.
Matsushita looking to push back, and Bobby Finke on the prowl in his best stroke in lane two Yeah, Bobby's gonna get in there, maybe win that bronze, but Foster breathing right into him, and they're gonna breathe to the opposite side.
But it really doesn't matter right now.
Foster's so good in the freestyle.
Remember, he's gonna anchor that 800 free relay a little bit later on, a little later on Petric just ahead of Fink right now for the bronze.
Matsushita in the lead, but here comes Carson Foster.
The American charging hard in lane three He's right there, isn't he?
I mean, he's right there.
Matsushita giving him a little room, hugging that lane line This is where the home crowd for the United States can come into effect, trying to push Carson Foster.
But Matsushita holds strong and takes the gold in championship record time, and he breaks his best time in the world this year, 4:06.75, to hold off Carson Foster by about four tenths What a race.
It, it's everything you want to see in a great 400 IM.
A little back and forth.
A guy that takes the charge right away, doesn't relinquish that lead, but I gotta give a lot of credit to Carson Foster and Bobby Finke.
How about that triple Olympic gold medalist going 4:07.5?
I mean, that's, that's pretty stout for a freestyler, a distance freestyler.
I mean, come on, that's, that's his best time, or right on it.
I mean, that's, that's pretty good on the Americans.
And now I've got I've got Michael Phelps up here in the booth pointing things out.
Tell me again now, buddy Yeah, that, that's, that's exactly right.
Michael made a point to me.
He said, "27.1 coming home."
That's pretty good.
You're right, buddy.
Excellent drag race to the finish.
He's right.
He's right.
He, he, he said he about split everybody else in the last 50, so good point.
Championship record for the Japanese performer to hold off the Americans Foster and Fink, who end up with silver and bronze in the 400 IM.
Here's Kaitlin Sandeno, American legend, with the men's winner.
Okay, how do you want the line up?
Tomoyuki, congratulations.
What makes you most proud about that victory tonight?
I was looking at the, 2028 LA Olympics, and then I can ima- make a image that, and then, had a great swim in the US.
That's amazing.
We are very excited for LA 2028, just two years away.
You have a lot of fans from Japan.
What would you like to say to your fans?
Thank you for the great crowd and, cheering, and next time I'm come back to US, I'm gonna get a gold again.
Congratulations on an epic swim.
