Skip to main content

Japanese National Team Gathers in Tokyo

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090806-527765.html

translated by Brett Larner

Members of the Japanese national team on Aug. 5 in Shibuya. Click photo for full-sized image.

Rikuren held a press conference and farewell party for the Japanese national track and field team at a hotel in Tokyo's Shibuya ward on Aug. 5. Serving as the national team head coach, Rikuren executive board member Susumu Takano reiterated the team's goal of at least one medal and six top-eight finishes, but added, "We also want at least 25% of our athletes to set season best marks." Men's pole vaulter Daichi Sawano (28, Chiba T&F Assoc.) and women's 400 m hurdler Satomi Kubokura (27, Team Niigata Albirex) were also introduced at the party as the team captains. With regard to men's hammer thrower Koji Murofushi (33, Team Mizuno), who has recovered from an injury but is behind schedule in his training, his father and coach Shigenobu commented, "We can't expect him to get any records or place well this time."

Translator's note: Athletes pictured above include, left to right:
Front row: Yukari Sahaku (10000m), Yuriko Kobayashi (5000m), Chisato Fukushima (100m, 200m), Momoko Takahashi (100m, 200m), ?,?
Second row: Asami Tanno (400m), ?, ?, Shintaro Kimura (100m), ?, ?, ?
Third Row: Daichi Sawano (pole vault), ?, ?, ?, Yuichiro Ueno (5000m), ?
Fourth Row: ?, Kensuke Takahashi (marathon), Satoshi Irifune (marathon), Yuzo Kanemaru (400m), Shinji Takahira (200m), Naoki Tsukahara (100m)
Back Row: ?, Yoshitaka Iwamizu (3000mSC), Masaya Shimizu (marathon)

Comments

Brett Larner said…
Well, that explains why Nakamura and Morimoto were in the park yesterday morning.
TokyoRacer said…
Is Sahaku tiny or what??
Brett Larner said…
Alas, the heartbreak of link decay...In the words of the master songsmith Matthew Sweet, "Nothing lasts."

And yes, Sahaku is small.

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...