Jun’ya Koga

Jun'ya Koga (Japanese古 贺 淳 也, Koga Jun'ya; born July 19, 1987 in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture) is a Japanese swimmer. Specializing on the 50 - and 100 - meter backstroke distance succeeded to the student of Waseda University, his biggest success at the World Swimming Championships in Rome in 2009, where he won the first Asian swimmers the gold medal on the 100 - meter track.

Career

Jun'ya Koga appeared internationally in 2003 first as a 15- year-old in the Australian state of New South Wales state swimming championships in appearance, where he took a third place on the non-Olympic 50m backstroke in the time of 26.72 seconds. In June 2004, the Japanese took part in his best discipline in European sports event Mare Nostrum and finished second in Monte Carlo also a third place ( 26.68 s ). Beginning in January 2005 caused Koga with a victory at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii quite a stir when he managed to beat the favored Australian Andrew Lauterstein on the 100 - meter backstroke distance ( 56.33 s ). Three months later, Koga took part in the Japanese Championships, where he 50m backstroke qualifying for the World Swimming Championships in Montreal just missed third. In the East Asian Games in early November of the same year in Macau Koga took about 50 m behind the back four years older Chinese Ouyang Kun Peng a second place and sat with a time of 25.68 s a new high school record. Also he won the silver medal in the 50m freestyle in a time of 23.16 s

Mid-April 2006 Koga won the Japanese Championships behind Tomomi Morita the silver medal in the 50m backstroke. In early December the same year managed the 19 -year-olds have hitherto greatest sporting success when he defeated at the Asian Games in Doha on the short route back Ouyang Kun Peng in a time of 25.40 s. In 2007, Koga for the first time at world swimming championships and finished second in Melbourne in the victory of the South African Gerhard Zandberg seventh place on his parade route ( 25.56 s ). A few days later he secured in a time of 25.52 s first Japanese champion title in the 50m backstroke, while the Japanese to the German Helge Meeuw was defeated in early August at the Summer Universiade only a hundredth of a second. About 50 m freestyle he came in the heats with a time of 23.34 s not over 22 square.

Mid-February 2008 Koga won the Japanese Short Course Championships, the silver medal in the 50m backstroke ( 24.21 s ) and took in mid-May at the International Grand Prix meeting at the American Santa Clara, where he with the Japanese medley relay behind Australian team took second place. A month later, Koga at the Japanese championships his title in the 50m backstroke in national record time of 25.33 s defend. In contrast to Japanese Kosuke Kitajima as teammates, favored by the new swimsuit LZR Racer of the Australian Swimming articles manufacturer Speedo who set several national records, the back specialist wore a suit of Japanese sports manufacturer Mizuno. However, a nomination in the Japanese squad for the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing was denied him.

According to an increased amount of exercise in the winter and high-altitude training Koga won in mid-February 2009, the Japanese Short Course Championships outdoors over the short distance back ( 23.46 s ). In the Japanese Championships in mid-April, he improved the national record for the 100 - meter backstroke route by almost seven-tenths of 52.87 s, winning the title, although he would have held firm declares a time under 53 seconds never dreamed possible. The success of the 100 meters left the 21 -year-olds then speculate on a medal at the World Swimming Championships in Rome. A day later, he also won the 50 - meter range and improved the Japanese record 24.45 s, only 0.12 seconds away from the world record by the American Randall Bal.

However, the Japanese ( 52.56 s ) In an exhibition bout in early May 2009 with the Australian team in Canberra, the Duel in the Pool, lost his record in the 100 - meter backstroke to his compatriot Ryosuke Irie, who him with more than one second ahead of second place referred ( 53.38 s ). Also at the Japan Open a month later to Koga was beaten was two years younger opponents over the 100 meter distance. Only at the Universiade in Belgrade in early July succeeded to the student of Waseda University Irie about 50 meters a defeat teach. Also on the 100m backstroke semi-final as Koga was fastest ( 52.39 s ) favorite, but finished third in the final behind the Spanish champion Aschwin Wildeboer and Irie in a time of 53.08 s a tie for third place ( together with the British Liam Tancock and the American Aaron Peirsol ). Two and a half weeks later, Koga succeeded his biggest sporting success. At the FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome, he secured the first Asian swimmer to the track above the 100 - meter backstroke distance in the Japanese record time of 52.26 s in the German Helge Meeuw and the Spaniard Wildeboer. About 50 m backstroke won Koga behind the British Tancock World Championship silver.

Personal Best

* = Japanese record