japan running news

  Fired by Rikkyo University as head coach of its track and field program four days before October's Hakone Ekiden qualifier half marathon after evidence emerged of an inappropriate relationship with a female team member , Yuichiro Ueno , 38, is set to join the Saga-based Hiramatsu Byoin corporate team in a return to a career as an athlete. Multiple corporate teams are said to have made offers for a "second chance" to Ueno, who was known as "the fastest coach in Japan," due to his ability and extensive knowledge and experience. Ueno appears to have selected the rapidly-growing Hiramatsu Byoin team from among the offers. A former star runner at Saku Chosei H.S. , Chuo University and S&B , Ueno was named head coach at Rikkyo in 2018 to lead the program back to the Hakone Ekiden in time for its 100th running in January, 2024. As part of his idiosyncratic coaching style he was known for running with the Rikkyo athletes. At last year's Hakone Ekiden qualif...

After falling out of the top 10 for the first time in 3 years to 13th at this year's Hakone Ekiden, Waseda University is set to name Olympian, former GMO corporate head coach and Waseda alum Katsuhiko Hanada , 50, as its new head coach. Former head coach Yutaka Sagara , 41, is expected to remain on as head coach. Under the new arrangement Waseda hopes to regain its former stature. Having left GMO at the end of March, Hanada is already overseeing Waseda team training at the university's Tokorozawa campus in Saitama. Asked about his role, Sagara commented, "Nothing has been finalized yet." But according to an involved source, the decision about Hanada is final and only a few last details are still under discussion. Hanada ran well at the Hakone Ekiden during his collegiate years and was part of Waseda's winning team his third year at the school. After joining the S&B corporate team, he competed on the track at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympi...

Former marathon runner Douglas Wakiihuri  has been awarded Japan's Spring Medal of Honor, an award recognizing individuals who have make exceptional contributions to Japanese society and become role models. Japan has produced a lot of distance runners, but Wakiihuri was the first Kenyan to pass through the Japanese development system.  His contributions to the sports and cultural exchange between Japan and Kenya are held in high esteem. Speaking in fluent Japanese from his home in Nairobi, an ebullient Wakiihuri said, "I am very happy. I owe a longstanding debt to everyone in Japan. The joy I feel is not just mine, but belongs to all of them. I am truly grateful."  Wakiihuri joined the S&B corporate team in 1983. "I was just 19 years old," he recalls. "Japan gave me a chance." Under the leadership of the late coach Kiyoshi Nakamura , Wakiihuri won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 Rome World Championships and the silver medal at the 1988...