Last summer (2009) he was selected for the Japanese team to the world championships in Italy and competed in the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay. Japan's freestyle hopeful, he aims to compete in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

His swimming life at Chuo hasn't exactly been plain sailing though. Harada faced his sternest test two years after entering university. “In the winter of my first year I twisted my ankle and snapped a ligament.” As a result, where he previously was able to swim at full strength, Harada could no longer produce records and stopped winning.

After that, more than just entering competitions, “I was always placing last in my races.” He couldn't keep up at practice. Looking back he says, “I was slightly depressed.” This continued until the winter of his second year.

In a long discussion with his coach, Harada was told that things couldn't continue in that fashion, and from the next day he started practicing thoroughly and concentrating on his technique. “I thought I'd give swimming one more serious go,” and changed his power-reliant style into a more technique-oriented stroke. Consequently, results began to show in his third and fourth years, and in his third year he contributed to Chuo University's victory in the inter-university tournament.

Harada started swimming when he was four years old. Influenced by his sister who was two years older, he thought it looked like fun and told his father that he wanted to take up swimming too. After going to swimming school six days a week for 90 minutes of practice a day, at age 10 Harada became national champion in the Junior Olympic Cup.

He became strong enough to win regularly on an annual basis. “It felt like I only had to get in the pool and swim to win.” He cut his personal best time by 10 seconds as an eight year old.

He left his hometown in Chiba to attend Nichidai Buzan High School in Tokyo and started dormitory life. This was because throughout his junior high school days, he had practiced at swimming school and, “I wanted to swim with teammates at high school.” But his team wasn't strong enough to win at the inter-high level so he started to turn his efforts towards his individual performances.

Harada began thinking about entering Chuo University during his second year at high school. At the time, Chuo had won 11 straight inter-university championships. After talking it through with his parents, he decided that Chuo, a strong university producing a long line of famous swimmers, would be the best place for him to develop his swimming.

“The four years I spent on the team at university was really enjoyable,” says Harada. But his competitive swimming career starts now. “I want to continue swimming until I can leave a huge mark.” To accomplish this he will join the Self Defense Force Physical Education School and aim for the London Olympic Games. He was lured by the chance to train everyday indoors in a 50m pool, a facility Chuo University didn't possess.

With a sparkle in his eye, Harada says, “I want to be number one at swimming.”

(Ishikawa)