It might not be quite accurate to describe Shoma Sato as having already achieved stardom. That’s partially because he hasn’t had many chances to compete at international competitions due to many of them being canceled because of COVID-19.

It’s probably safe to say, however, Sato is a rising star with a legitimate chance to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. His victory in the 200-meter breaststroke at the national championships on Wednesday was certainly dominant enough to put his name in the mix.

Sato touched the wall on Wednesday in 2 minutes, 6.40 seconds, a national record that is second only to the world record of 2 minutes, 6.12 seconds set by Russian Anton Chupkov at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, in 2019.