Kosuke Hagino was a very noticeable absence at the FINA world championships, where he was in line to win multiple medals in Russia. The Japanese star broke his elbow in July, forcing him to withdraw from the year’s biggest international meet.
Hagino has signed up for two events at next month’s Japanese Intercollegiate Championships as a test of his recovery. He’ll only swim the 100 and 200 backstrokes, which he said he believes will have a smaller impact on the injury he suffered. Hagino fractured bones in his right elbow and is still undergoing rehabilitation, according to an article on the NHK News website.
Hagino expects a full recovery before the Japanese Olympic Trials next spring, where he’ll look to qualify for as few as three individual events and as many as five. Expect him to be among the medal contenders in Rio in the individual medley events, and he could also compete in the 200 free and 200 back. Hagino had to spend some time out of the pool to allow the elbow to heal, but returned to the pool in late July, according to NHK News.
Hagino is just one of the many swimmers who had to withdraw from world championships due to illness or injury. James Magnuessen, Brittany Elmslie, Yannick Agnel and Jiao Liyuang were just a few who sat out the meet, but are expected to return next year at the Olympics. Hagino is the first of the major injured swimmers who did not compete at worlds to announce his first post-injury meet.
NHK News article (in Japanese)
