Maiko Fujino

Maiko Fujino (藤野 舞子, Fujino Maiko, born May 25, 1983) is a Japanese swimmer, who specialized in long-distance freestyle and individual medley events.[1][2] She represented her nation Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has won a career total of six medals (one silver and five bronze) in a major international competition, spanning the Pan Pacific Championships and three editions of the Asian Games (2002 to 2010).[3][4] Fujino is also a student at Takushoku University in Tokyo.

Maiko Fujino
Personal information
Full nameMaiko Fujino
National team Japan
Born (1983-05-25) 25 May 1983
Adachi, Tokyo, Japan
Height1.61 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight55 kg (121 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, medley
ClubFB International[1]
CoachTaro Fujii[1]
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Japan
Pan Pacific Championships
2002 Yokohama400 m medley
Asian Games
2002 Busan400 m medley
2002 Busan200 m medley
2006 Doha200 m medley
2006 Doha400 m medley
2010 Guangzhou800 m freestyle

Fujino made her own swimming history at the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, quickly claiming the bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley with a time of 4:45.79.[5] The following year, Fujino picked up two more medals in the same stroke (silver in the 400, and bronze in the 200) at the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, South Korea, posting respective marks of 2:17.41 and 4:48.44.[6][7]

Five years later, Fujino competed in two swimming events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Leading up to the Games, she cleared FINA A-standard entry times of 8:34.17 (800 m freestyle) and 4:40.14 (400 m individual medley) at the Olympic trials in Tokyo to earn an outright selection on the Japanese team.[8] On the first day of the Games, Fujino posted her personal best of 4:37.35 in the preliminary heats of the 400 m individual medley, but missed out the final by less than 0.21 of a second in eleventh place.[9] In her second event, 800 m freestyle, Fujino challenged seven other swimmers on the third heat, including former Olympic champion Camelia Potec of Romania, 14-year-old Li Xuanxu of China, and top medal favorite Katie Hoff of the United States. She raced to sixth place by five seconds behind Venezuela's Andreina Pinto in 8:35.60. For the second time, Fujino failed to advance to the top 8 final, placing herself in twenty-first overall on the evening prelims.[10]

Fujino also became the first female Japanese swimmer to dip under 4:30 barrier in the 400 m individual medley, smashing a Japanese record and her own tech suit best of 4:29.77 at the 2009 Japan Open in Tokyo.[11]

References
  1. "Maiko Fujino". Beijing 2008. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Maiko Fujino". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  3. "Qi Hui grabs women's 400m individual medley at Asiad". Xinhua News Agency. 4 December 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  4. "Asian Games: Tae Hwan Park Earns Third Gold, Zhao Jing Still Posting Fast Times". Swimming World Magazine. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. "Australia dominates Pan Pacifics". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 24 August 2002. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  6. Jeffrey, Josh (29 August 2003). "Klochkova Wins Two at World University Games". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  7. Jeffrey, Josh (25 August 2003). "World University Games, Day 2: Prilukov Sets Games Mark in the 800 Free, Christianson Wins 100 Fly". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  8. Mochizuki, Hideki (19 April 2008). "Japanese Olympic Trials: Add Hanae Itoh to Sub-Minute 100 Back Club". Swimming World Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  9. "Women's 400m Individual Medley Heat 3". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  10. "Women's 800m Freestyle Heat 3". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  11. "Japan Open: Plenty of Record Swims". Swimming World Magazine. 21 February 2009. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
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