Coming Off World Champs Podium, Mio Narita Positioned to Continue Medley Climb
The depth of the medley events among Japanese men has been a top storyline in the sport over the past year. While Tomoyuki Matsushita has established himself as the nation’s No. 1 performer in the 200-meter individual medley and 400 individual medley, several rising stars have provided future hope, namely Asaki Nishikawa, Yumeki Kojima and Kosuke Makino. Additional promise can be found in the likes of Raito Numata and Takumi Mori, among others.
The same power cannot be found among Japan’s women, but in the early stages of 2026, Mio Narita can be counted on to deliver for the Land of the Rising Sun.
Just a few years ago, Narita made her name known with several elite showings at the junior level. In 2022, she doubled at the World Junior Championships and Junior Pan Pacific Championships in the 200 IM and 400 IM. With those victories, expectations soared for the youngster, but it wasn’t until the 2024 Olympic Games that Narita truly demonstrated she ranked among the world’s best.
At the Paris Games, Narita advanced to the final of the 400 individual medley, ultimately placing sixth. That performance was followed by a pair of finals appearances at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. At that global meet, Narita was fifth in the 200 medley and she shared the silver medal in the 400 IM with Australian Jenna Forrester. Both women checked in with times of 4:33.26, while Narita went a best of 2:09.16 in the semifinals of the 200 IM.
Looking ahead, the bigger challenge for Narita from a global perspective is in the 200 IM, where she trails the likes of Canadian Summer McIntosh, Americans Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh and China’s Yu Zidi and Yu Yiting by sizable margins. In the 400 IM, McIntosh is well out of reach, but there is room for Narita to solidify herself in the No. 2 position. Historically, she trails only 2020 Olympic champ Yui Ohashi (4:30.82) among Japanese athletes.
Narita should have multiple opportunities to enhance her status during the year ahead. She is expected to race at this summer’s Pan Pacific Championships in Southern California, and will also have the chance to compete at the Asian Games in September. In both medley disciplines, the potential exists for Narita to remain a steady contender on the world stage.