Yasu Hirai Fukuoka OLY Is Coming Back, Surely and Swiftly

Yasu Hirai Fukuoka OLY (MSF bio here, @fortheloveofyasu) knows the background of fellow Olympian Spiros Gianniotis (MSF bio here, @spirosgianniotis_).

Gianniotis qualified for his first Olympics in 2000, his second Olympics in 2004 in his native Greece, then he finished 16th in the 10 km marathon swim at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – after temporarily taking the lead on the final loop, then he finished just out of the podium 4th in the 2012 London Olympics, and then at the age of 36 in his fifth Olympics, won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics marathon swim.

His dedication and commitment to winning an Olympic medal were impressive – and provides an inspiration to Fukuoka. “My goal is to place in the Top 8 at the Ironman World Championships in Kona in 2026. Similarly, my friend Spiros motivates me to strive for a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 when I’ll be 38.”

He is on track, winning the 5 km at the Sydney Harbour Splash on January 26th, held annually on Australia Day.

He won the ninth edition in 1:02:13 across Rose Bay in Sydney with the Sydney Harbour Bridge as its backdrop. He said, “Not only does Winning the 5km race at Sydney’s most iconic ocean swim was truly an honor. For this race, my goal was to assess how much my drafting skills had returned compared to my prime.

I challenged myself to see if I could shift gears at speed on my own within the 5 km distance — just as crucial as winning the race itself. It was a valuable opportunity to identify what I need to do to return to the front line.

To my surprise, my drafting skills have returned to a higher level than I had anticipated. From the start of the race to the 4 km mark, I was swimming at a pace of 1:15 -1:20 per 100 meters. I managed to push the final 500 meters at an average pace of 1:00 – 1:01 per 100 meters, as logged by my Polar watch.

I’m glad to have won the race because it is an influential event here in Sydney, where I now live, so it was especially meaningful for me. This weekend, I’ll be competing in another 5 km race, and I plan to participate in weekly races until February 23rd to continue building my cardiopulmonary fitness.

This performance has given me immense confidence as I prepare for the 10K marathon swim at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan (@asiangames_2026), the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Kona 2026 (@ironmantri), and the 10K marathon swim at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (@la28games).”

Maddison Schmid, a former Australian national water polo player, was the second fastest swimmer in the 5 km race, finishing in 1:02:28.

5 km Top 3 Men

Yasu Hirai Fukuoka 1:02:13
Justin Hanby 1:06:59
Jonathan Rousseau 1:09:52

5 km Top 3 Women

Maddison Schmid 1:02:28
Sharon Crisafi 1:08:48
Anne Marie Danganan-Faro 1:11:56

2.5 km Top 3 Men

Duke Wieland 30:54
Matias Soca 32:50
Guillaume Bardou 32:57

2.5 km Top 3 Women

Christie Krenkels 35:36
Belinda Bullivant 35:46
Katie Dudley 36:58

1 km Top 3 men

Troy Stewart 14:14
Jacob Whitton 14:18
Jed Boxall 14:20

1 km Top 3 Women

Hanna Lewis 14:53
Suzanna Andrews 16:02
Olivia King 16:12

Fukuoka placed 15th at the 2012 London Olympics 10 km marathon swim and 8th in the 2016 Rio Olympics – in a mad sprint to the finish with only 7 seconds separating the top 12 men in the lead pack [see results below].

Fukuoka through the years: