By Swimming World Japanese correspondent Hideki Mochizuki
TOKYO, Japan, June 20. Olympic gold medalist Daichi Suzuki is in line to take over the Japanese Swimming Federation according to the Kyodo News.
Suzuki, who won the men's 100-meter backstroke at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, is the most likely candidate to replace outgoing Kazuo Sano. Sano, who is 72 years old, will be pushed out of the organization due to an internal term limitation rule requiring the president to be younger than 70.
The final decision on who will replace Sano will take place this weekend at the Japanese Swimming Federation board meeting on June 23.
Suzuki is currently a professor at Juntendo University and could be in line for a lengthy reign atop the Federation as he is just 46 years old.
Aside from his gold medal in the 1988, Suzuki also won silver in the event at the 1987 Pan Pacific Championships in Brisbane, and swept the backstrokes at the 1987 World University Games in Zagreb.