Takeshi Matsuda

Takeshi Matsuda is a retired Japanese swimmer, born in 1984 in the rural town of Nobeoka in Miyazaki, who specialised in the butterfly and freestyle events. He began swimming at four at a local pool and trained throughout his career with the same coach, Yumiko Kuze. He swam for Japan at four Olympic Games, in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, and won four medals. At the 2008 Olympics he took bronze in the 200 metre butterfly in an Asian record of 1:52.97, defended that bronze in 2012, swam the butterfly leg of the silver medal 4 x 100 metre medley relay at those Games, and won a further bronze in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay in 2016. In 2011 he set a Japanese short course record of 1:49.50 in the 200 metre butterfly.