japan running news

On Aug. 9 at a Tokyo-area press conference the JAAF announced that the MGC Race 2020 Olympic marathon trials scheduled for Sept. 15, 2019 will be split between two broadcasters, the men's race going to TBS and the women's race to NHK.

At the press conference JAAF executive director Mitsugi Ogata explained that after communicating their terms and conditions for the event to the major broadcast companies the JAAF evaluated their proposals for the broadcast and its promotion. The selection committee then made its determination on which broadcasters would win the contract.

Ogata commented, "The precise details have yet to be determined but we are considering a start time around 9:00 a.m. We would like to establish the difference in start time between the men's and women's races in consultation with the various parties involved."

source article:
https://www.daily.co.jp/general/2018/08/09/0011527373.shtml
translated by Brett Larner

At the Nov. 12 Saitama International Marathon, Kenyan Flomena Cheyech Daniel won a sprint finish over Bahraini Shitaye Habtegebrel by 3 seconds to take her second-straight Saitama title in 2:28:39. On Dec. 11 race organizers announced that both runners' times had been annulled.

In the midst of the pair's battle for the win, race officials misdirected the pair into the righthand lane on the final corner instead of the lefthand lane in which the finish line was located. Both ran over the curb dividing the two lanes and returned to the original course before finishing.

At the time JAAF executive director Mitsugi Ogata said, "This was a mistake by the organizers and the athletes did nothing wrong. There was no effect on the finishing order and no advantage gained in terms of the distance run." After later consultation with JAAF officials, race organizers decided that Cheyech and Habtegebrel had not covered the complete distance and that their times should be annulled. N…

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/column/20170314-OHT1T50078.html

an editorial by Yuji Hosono
translated by Brett Larner



After running 2:21:36 for 2nd at the Mar. 12 Nagoya Women's Marathon to become the all-time 4th-fastest Japanese woman, the name of 22-year-old Cinderella girl Yuka Ando (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) is now synonymous with the slightly incongruous term "ninja running."  Her lower arms hanging loosely, barely moving, gaining forward propulsion through the strength of her legs, a unique form on display throughout her duel with Rio Olympics silver medalist Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain).  It just may be enough to bring the Olympic women's marathon gold medal back to Japan for the first time since Mizuki Noguchi in Athens in 2004.

Ando's ninja running first caught my eye about a year ago at the May, 2016 Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon.  I had the impression that it seemed to be between Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal), who was expected to medal in the Rio Olympics and Ando, who …

http://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S12316787.html

translated by Brett Larner

The JAAF has decided to take measures against the widespread use of iron injections by long distance athletes to combat anemia, saying that they undermine the athletes' bodies.  Beginning this spring it is sending documents to high school, university and corporate teams under the governance of the various local prefectural athletics associations to warn of the risks posed by iron injections, following up with a survey to help understand the scale of the actual situation.  The JAAF considers this problem central to the stagnation of distance running and marathoning, particularly with regard to women's performances.

Iron injections were already conventionally known to have deleterious effects upon athletes, but because there are situations in which the injections are a legitimate medical practice they have continued to be allowed.  However, amid a sense of crisis the JAAF has opted to take a strong stance.…

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20160301-00000065-dal-spo

translated by Brett Larner

On Mar. 1, the organizers of the Nagoya Women's Marathon, the final selection race for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics team, announced general division entrant Kayoko Fukushi (33, Team Wacoal) has withdrawn from the race, saying, "This was the overall judgment after case studies done by team management."

Fukushi won January's Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2:22:17, clearing the JAAF's Olympic standard of 2:22:30.  Her position on the Rio team was virtually assured, but because the JAAF refused to confirm it she entered the final selection race in Nagoya.

An unheard-of unwilling entry of a top-level prospective Olympian into a race, subsequent events like JAAF Strengthening Chairman Kazunori Asaba's unusual statement, "We do not want her to run. We want to see her do rock-solid preparation for going after a medal," caused a swelling uproar in popular opinio…

http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201601/2016011500412&g=spo
http://www.jiji.com/jc/zc?k=201601/2016011500418&g=spo

translated by Brett Larner

In response to a statement in a report published by WADA on Jan. 14 saying that Tokyo had paid sponsorship money to the IAAF and others during its bid for the 2020 Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee spokesperson Hikariko Ono expressed the committee's view that, "What is written [in the report] represents is different from our understanding."  Ono stressed the legitimacy of Tokyo's bid activities, saying, "The plans Tokyo presented were evaluated as the best and that is why the IOC Assembly selected them."

Former JAAF director Katsuyuki Tanaka, who served on the IAAF Council from 2007 until last summer, commented, "There's no doubt that former president [Lamine] Diack was sympathetic to Tokyo from the start, but I don't think what they have written is true."  With a large number of its co…

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/1546509.html

translated by Brett Larner

At a meeting of its board of directors Sept. 30 in Tokyo, the JAAF made the decision to establish a new Strengthening Promotion Committee.  The new committee will have authority over the existing Strengthening Committee.  JAAF executive director Mitsugi Ogata, 56, commented, "Up to now our strengthening activities have focused on producing the best performances at a particular time, but from now on we want to consider strategy through a variety of eyes and minds."

Citing the Japanese performance at August's Beijing World Championships, where the national team's total of one bronze medal and two top eight performances fell far short of JAAF projections, the board approved the resignation of Strengthening Committee chairman Yasuhiro Harada.  The promotion of vice-chairman Kazunori Asaba was also approved pending the outcome of committee restructuring.  Along with Toshihiko Seko, Na…