Coverage of the 2015 FINA World Championships is sponsored by Wylas Timing. Visit our coverage page for more.
Kosuke Hagino will not be defending his Swimming World World Swimmer of the Year title this year after breaking his elbow during a training camp in France.
At a press conference in Tokyo following extensive consultation with Japanese doctors, Hagino confirmed that he is going to miss the World Championships om Kazan, Russia.
“This is even more regrettable because my form had been getting better,” Hagino said. “I’m very sorry for all those who supported me. All I can do now is to recover with a strong motivation that I’ll win the gold in next year’s Olympics.”
Hagino detailed how the injury happened as well. Reminiscent to some of Ryan Lochte’s injuries in the past, Hagino fell off a bike during the Japanese national team’s training camp in France. He immediately was flown back to Japan, where he was shown to have a fractured right elbow.
Hagino was looking for his first long course gold medal on a truly international stage. While he dominated at the regional Pan Pacific Championships last year with a gold-medal sweep of the IMs, his previous long course best against the entire world had been a pair of silvers in the 400 free and 200 IM at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships.
He has won a world title, but it was in short course competition with a win in the 200 IM at the 2014 Doha World Championships.
With four golds from the 2014 Asian Games under his belt, Hagino was definitely considered a front-runner for the World Swimmer of the Year honors again this year.
Hagino is the latest in a long line of people now missing from the World Championships.
Yannick Agnel had to drop out due to pleurisy, while Therese Alshammar sustained a back injury. James Magnussen also dropped out with a shoulder injury.
Brittany Elmslie and Kylie Palmer have also withdrawn from the meet. Elmslie is recovering from an operation to remove a growth in her breast, while Palmer is sitting out the meet in the middle of an investigation surrounding a positive drug test.
Get well soon !
Very sad and yes, Kosuke, get well soon so you can start Rio preparations.
Just thinking: Michael Phelps is incredibly lucky to have stayed healthy and relatively injury-free throughout his career. Look @. Ryan Lochte. Look @. other top Americans who have not been so fortunate. The Swimming Gods must have really been looking out for Mr. P all these years and hopefully they’ll continue to be ever-vigilant through Rio.
Wow this really sucks for Hagino, Japan swimming, and all swimming fans/competitors, at least the competitors who want to compete against the best. I hope the list stops here; too many top swimmers are out, plus Phelps and late-bloomers who didn’t make the US team last summer, and if there are many more, this Worlds will have to have an asterisk next to it.
Which reminds me, do you guys have any update on Otteson and Loughran, who were attacked by a road rager in Copenhagen a couple weeks ago?
Sad news for Hagino san, and for the championships!
Ouch! !
Agnel, Magnussen and now Hagino…
That sucks