japan running news

The day Japan has been waiting for has finally arrived. Riding a wave of success in Japanese men's sprinting that in the last year has seen 4x100 m medals at the Rio Olympics and London World Championships and six men clear 10.10, Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo University) outran his London teammate Shuhei Tada (Kwansei Gakuin University) to become the first Japanese man ever to legally clear the 10-second barrier as he won the National University Championships 100 m final in 9.98 (+1.8 m/s) Saturday in Fukui. After struggling with a sluggish start at the Taipei World University Games late last month Tada was back to his usual form, quick out of the blocks to open an early lead over Kiryu and the rest of the field. But over the second half Kiryu continued to build, passing Tada and dipping across the line to stop the clock at 9.99. The crowd erupted, but with the memory of Koji Ito 's 10.00 national record, initially a 9.99 that was adjusted to 10.00 in the official results, th...

an editorial by Koji Ito   men's 100 m national record holder JAAF Development Committee Chair In London Japan won the men's 4x100 m relay bronze, its first-ever World Championships 4x100 m medal. I'm glad that they were able to win a medal. My honest impression was that they have done well to come this far. Before the race started sprint coach Shunji Karube was saying, "They're totally going to medal," but a key part of Japan's strength is in fact the rich experience he and Coach Hiroyasu Tsuchie bring to the picture. I think their tactics are amazing. During the heats they could make an assessment of Aska Cambridge 's situation in just half a day and replace him with Kenji Fujimitsu , who delivered a solid run. Japan has entered the ranks of the world's true relay powerhouse nations. Apart from leading man Shuhei Tada , the other three members were talking before the race in a totally relaxed way that would have been unthinkable in my e...

At a JAAF event at the British Embassy in Tokyo on July 21, marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (30, Saitama Pref. Gov't) was named men's captain of the Japanese national team for next month's London World Championships. Javelin throw national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) was chosen as women's captain. In a wide-ranging and impassioned speech 4 minutes and 20 seconds long, Kawauchi stoked the team's morale as he told attendees, "I think that there are athletes here today who look at London as just a checkpoint along the way to the Tokyo Olympics. But as a representative of Japan it is not enough just to be there competing. I feel it strongly. You must produce results at this event, the London World Championships. This is the task assigned to each and every one of us. It is critical that we work seriously to achieve our goals. The Japanese people want nothing less. What can we as athletes do for them? More than just wearing the uniform, each of us...

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20160928-00000102-nksports-spo http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20160928-00000138-jij-spo translated and edited by Brett Larner At a board of directors meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 28, the JAAF named Koji Ito (46), holder of the 10.00 Japanese 100 m national record, its new strengthening committee chairman.  Ito was already serving as the committee's vice-chairman.   He replaces Rio de Olympics athletics head coach Kazunori Asaba (56) in the role of the person who will lead the committee in the four-year buildup to the Tokyo Olympics.  Ito commented, "As someone in athletics I wanted to be involved in the Tokyo Olympics in one capacity or another.  There won't be any instant improvement, but as we move forward I want to listen to the opinions of a wide variety of people." The board additionally settled the dates for major 2017 domestic competitions.  The Japanese National Championships will take place June 23-25 at Osaka'...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/news/130812/oth13081210240018-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner Japan's sprint ace Ryota Yamagata  (Keio Univ.) has been removed from the 4x100 m relay team after suffering a pulled muscle in the rear of his left thigh.  The injury occurred during the men's 100 m heats on August 10.  It was diagnosed as a muscle pull on the 11th, and after consultation with the team doctor and trainers Yamagata was removed from the relay team.  According to Rikuren sprint director Koji Ito , "He can walk, but it is not a light injury." Yamagata ran the same heat as world record holder Usain Bolt  (Jamaica), his reaction time of 0.172 the ranking him fifth in the heat.  "Up to halfway I couldn't open up to top speed," Yamagata reflected of his race, where at halfway he quickly looked around and found he was in competition with four or five other athletes.  Dueling with a South African athlete in the lane to his right, Yamagata cross...

http://www.supersport.com/athletics/international/news/130502/Japan_teen_tipped_to_become_fastest_Asian Click here for a playlist of Yoshihide Kiryu  videos from over the last year by naoki620.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/news/20130429-OYT1T00340.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner video by okuon On day two of the Oda Memorial Meet, April 29 at Hiroshima's Edion Stadium, men's 100 m youth world record holder and Rakunan High School senior Yoshihide Kiryu of Kyoto ran a world-leading 10.01 with a legal wind of + 0.9 m/s in the heats of the men's 100 m, the second-fastest time ever by a Japanese man, tying the world junior record, and setting a new high school national record.  The Japanese national record of 10.00 was set by Koji Ito in 1998. Update: Kiryu won the final in 10.03 with a +2.7 m/s wind. Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.) took 2nd in 10.04.   Click here for complete results .

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2012110100974 translated by Brett Larner On Nov. 1 Rikuren, the Japanese athletics federation, announced the names of the new members of its strengthening committee.  Taking over as head of men's middle distance, long distance and marathoning is Team Asahi Kasei head coach Takeshi Soh .  Team Tenmaya head coach Yutaka Taketomi  remains in place as head of the women's distance program. Koji Ito , holder of the Japanese men's 100 m national record of 10.00, was named the new head of men's sprinting, while former 400 mH national record holder and strengthening committee vice-chairman Kazuhiko Yamazaki will act as head of the committee's actualization division. In the lead-up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics the strengthening committee will be organized into three main divisions, track and field, middle, long distance and road, and actualization.  Newly-named strengthening committee director Yasuhiro Harada  will a...