Micah Masei was Team American Samoa’s first member to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Saturday, entering the men’s 100 meter breaststroke.
Masei, who trained at the University of Hawaii, won his heat against Muhammad Isa Ahmad from Brunei and Amini Fonua from Tonga, swimming a time of 1.04.93 over two lengths of the 50-meter pool at the brand new Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
He was just shy of his personal best of 1.04.81.
Masei said he was pleased with his swim: “It’s been a difficult year with COVID-19, you know we were in lockdown for six months which meant I couldn’t train properly, so I was really happy to be able to get so close to my personal best, and to give it everything to win the heat.”
Masei swam in the first of seven heats in the men’s 100m breaststroke event but was unable to qualify for the final on Sunday.
Though spectators aren’t allowed into stadiums in Tokyo due to the ongoing state of emergency, the large number of team members and support staff attending the competitions on Saturday meant that the atmosphere in the Aquatics Centre was lively, and the Olympic spirit.
