Daiya Seto
Daiya Seto is a Japanese competitive swimmer who swims in the individual medley, butterfly, breaststroke, and freestyle events. He won the gold medal in the 400 meter individual medley at the 2012, 2014, and 2016 world short course championships, as well as at the 2013 and 2015 world long course championships. Seto holds the world records in the 200 meter butterfly and the 400 meter individual medley.
Seto is the first Asian swimmer to become a world champion in the individual medley.
press conference
Swimming career
Seto took up swimming at the age of five because of his friend Kim Paulo Fabay who was his inspiration He narrowly missed the 2012 Olympics when he finished third in both the 200 m and 400 m individual medley events at the national selection. He improved at the 2012 FINA World Cup, where he competed in all stages and ended up fourth overall. He concluded the short course season at the 2012 Short Course World Championships. Here Seto won the first international medals of his career. He first competed in the 400 m individual medley, where he won his first World Championship title in a new Asian record of 3:59.12, over a second and a half faster than second-place finisher László Cseh. He then competed in the 200 m individual medley, where he was able to rally past Cseh for the silver in a time of 1:52.80, over three seconds behind the winner Ryan Lochte who broke the world record.2013 World Championships
Despite being the short course World Champion, Seto was still coming into the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain relatively unknown, mostly due to Japanese medley star Kosuke Hagino. He once again swam both individual medley events. In the 200 m, his first event, he swam a personal best in the semifinals with a time of 1:58.03, and then finished a touch slower in the final the next night to finish seventh overall. In his best event, the 400 m individual medley, Seto qualified first for the final and then surprisingly won his first long course world champion title by finishing first in a time of 4:08.69, about half a second ahead of second-place finisher Chase Kalisz. He is the second fastest Asian performer in the event, behind Hagino.2014 and 2018 Pan Pacific Championships
During the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Seto had won a gold medal.In 2018 he won a gold medal at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
2015 World Championships
Seto successfully defended his world title in the 400 m individual medley on the last day of the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Earlier in the meet, he did not live up to expectations in the 200 meter butterfly and individual medley, events in which he was ranked 2nd in the world before the championships.2016 Olympics
Seto earned a bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley on 6 August, with a time of 4:09.71 in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also finished fifth in the 200 m butterfly.He is scheduled to participate at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
In 2018 he was named Swimmer Of The Year by SwimSwam.
Daiya Seto is married to Yuka Mabuchi and has a daughter Yuwa.
International Swimming League
In the Autumn of 2019 he was member of the inaugural International Swimming League swimming for the Energy Standard International Swim Club, who won the team title in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December. At the final match in Las Vegas, Seto set the World Record in the 400m Individual Medley with a time of 3:54.81 breaking the former record held by American Ryan Lochte. In Las Vegas he also won the 200m Butterfly over teammate Chad le Clos, and the 200 Individual Medley.Personal bests
long course, as of 19 February 2020| Event | Time | Meet | Venue | Date | Note |
| 100 m breaststroke | 59.79 | 2019 Japan open | Tokyo, Japan | 30 May 2019 | |
| 200 m butterfly | 1:52.53 | Fina Champions Swim Series | Beijing, China | 18 January 2020 | |
| 100 m butterfly | 51.89 | 2020 Kosuke Kitajima Cup | Tokyo, Japan | 26 January 2020 | |
| 200 m individual medley | 1:55.55 | Fina Champions Swim Series | Beijing, China | 18 January 2020 | |
| 400 m individual medley | 4:06.09 | 2020 Kosuke Kitajima Cup | Tokyo, Japan | 25 January 2020 |
short course, as of 20 December 2019
| Event | Time | Meet | Venue | Date | Note |
| 200 m butterfly | 1:48.24 | 2018 World Swimming Championships | Hangzhou, China | 11 December 2018 | WR |
| 400 m individual medley | 3:54.81 | International Swimming League | Las Vegas, United States | 20 December 2019 | WR |