Cal’s Yamato Okadome a Star on NCAA Scene, with Potential to Shake Up Japanese Breaststroke Hierarchy
Strength in the breaststroke has long been a hallmark of Japan. The likes of Yoshiyuki Tsuruta and Kosuke Kitajima have been enshrined in the International Swimming Hall of Fame as multi-time Olympic champions. Meanwhile, Nobutaka Taguchi was a force during the first half of the 1970s, his career highlighted by a gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.
These days, Japan is particularly rich in breaststroke depth. While five men rank in the top-25 in the world this year in the 100 breaststroke, the 200 distance is even more impressive. Led by 16-year-old phenom Shin Ohashi, the 200 breaststroke features three Japanese athletes among the top-five performers in the world, and four of the top-10. On the road to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the battle for supremacy should be sensational.
And it could get fiercer.
As Cal moves through the fall season, the Golden Bears have already received several strong performances from Yamato Okadome, a key figure on last year’s squad that claimed a runnerup finish at the NCAA Championships. A sophomore from Chiba, Japan, Okadome shined over the weekend during Cal’s triple-distance meet with Stanford. Across all three breaststroke distances, he went 23.46 in the 50 breaststroke, 50.89 in the 100 breaststroke and 1:52.20 in the 200 breaststroke
Okadome is coming off a freshman season in which he registered top times of 50.62 in the 100 breast and 1:50.19 in the 200 breast, so his early-season efforts for the 2025-26 season are noteworthy. During that initial campaign with the Bears, Okadome was third and second, respectively, in the breaststroke events at the ACC Championships. He followed with a pair of finals appearances at the NCAA Championships.
Obviously established as an elite short-course performer, the question is whether Okadome can transfer that success to the Olympic-sized pool and push Japan’s best for a bid to major international competition. He is experienced on the global stage at the junior level, having earned a pair of silver medals at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
Okadome currently owns a career best of 1:00.21 in the long-course version of the 100 breaststroke and has been 2:12.19 in the 200 breaststroke. His time from the 200 breaststroke is from 2022, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Okadome generate a significant drop over four laps.
For now, Okadome will continue to serve as a premier contributor for Cal. Down the road, keep an eye on the 20-year-old among Japan’s top-end breaststrokers. Perhaps the emergence of another world-class performer is on the horizon.
