The top Japanese finisher in the 2024 Paris Olympics women's marathon at 6th, Yuka Suzuki, 26, announced this week on her social media that she has left the Daiichi Seimei corporate team to transfer to Kraftia. "I'm really grateful to everyone who's helped me get where I am, and I know it's a level not everyone can get to," she wrote.
Suzuki joined Daiichi Seimei in 2022 after graduating from Daito Bunka University. "The last few years I came to realize how incredible the fan support is in the corporate leagues and at the Olympics," she wrote. "My memories of the MGC Race and Paris Olympics really stand out. Even when the weather wasn't great or the race was far away there were always people there to cheer for me. That's not something you should take for granted, and I want to take the time to put my thanks to all of you into words."
Talking about what comes next, Suzuki wrote, "I had a lot of options, and I wanted to be in an environment where I could experience new training and coaching methods to help me reach my goal of competing globally alongside my husband. There were other things too, but I've made up my mind on this."
In June Suzuki married Akira Akasaki, 6th-placer in the men's marathon in Paris. As part of her announcement this week she said she would be changing her name to Yuka Akasaki after transferring, saying, "A lot of couples struggle with being located in different places, but I've decided that this is the time to take this step to be together. I'm fully committed to this route forward, and I will make it the right one."
Translator's note: 1991 Tokyo World Championships women's marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita stepped down as head of Daiichi Seimei in October. She had played a key role in getting Suzuki, the collegiate marathon national record holder, to the team after her graduation. Daiichi Seimei was 15th of 24 teams at last month's Queens Ekiden national championship, while Kraftia finished last.
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translated by Brett Larner
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Also I'm curious about Kokai Haruka's absence from the Daichii Seimei team at the Queen's Ekiden. Is she injured, out of form or also on the move to a different team after Sachiko Yamashita stepped down as head?