Skip to main content

Olympic Marathoner Satoshi Osaki Gives Speech at His High School

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008061100401

translated by Brett Larner

Beijing Olympics men`s marathon team member Satoshi Osaki (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) visited his alma mater high school, Osaka`s Seifu High, on June 11 to give a speech to current students, alumni and faculty. "Whatever the outcome in the Olympics," Osaki said, "I will try to be a good role model for all of you. Please cheer for me and lend me your support."

While Osaki was a student at Seifu three alumni of the school took part in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, gymnasts Yukio Iketani and Daisuke Nishikawa along with sprinter Satoru Inoue. Osaki heard the three athletes speak at his school before the Olympics and remembers thinking that the Olympics, "...seemed like something which existed above the clouds." Standing now in the place of honor, Osaki was deeply emotional as he told the assembled crowd, "I am going after the gold medal. I believe I have a chance."

Comments

Most-Read This Week

'Kobe 2024: Aitchison, Athmani Lead Record-Breaking Thursday'

  https://www.paralympic.org/news/kobe-2024-para-athletics-world-championships-aitchison-athmani-lead-record-breaking-thursday Complete results and daily schedule from the Kobe World Para Athletics Championships are here .

Japan's First Goldless Day - Asian Athletics Championships Day Four Highlights

Day 4 of the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships was the first without a single gold medal going to Japan, but there were still enough silvers and bronzes to go around. Robyn Lauren Brown of the Philippines outclassed the rest of the women's 400 mH final field, taking gold in 57.50. Eri Utsunomiya and Ami Yamamoto made it a Japanese 2-3, Utsunomiya running 57.73 for silver and Yamamoto 57.80 for bronze. Yusaku Kodama also scored silver in the men's 400 mH, running 48.96 behind Qatari winner Bassem Hemeida 's 48.64. Yuki Yamasaki won bronze in the heptathlon with 5696 points, Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina taking gold in 6098 and Swapna Barman silver in 5840. Teammate Karin Odama was 4th in 5487. Another bronze came in the mixed 4x400 m relay, with Japan running 3:15.71 behind India's 3:14.70 and Sri Lanka's 3:15.41. Naoto Hasegawa and Ryoichi Akamatsu both cleared 2.23 m in the men's high jump, Hasegawa finishing 4th overall and Akamatsu 5th. ...

'2024 IAU 100k World Championships Results: Jumpei Yamaguchi and Floriane Hot Win Gold'

Silver two years ago , Japanese NR holder Jumpei Yamaguchi took gold at the IAU 100 km World Championships Saturday in Bengaluru, India. Defending gold medalist Haruki Okayama was bronze this time, with Toru Somiya just over 2 minutes behind Okayama in 4th. Japanese women were shut out of the medals, 24-hour world record holder Miho Nakata placing highest at 4th. Complete report and results here: https://www.irunfar.com/2024-iau-100k-world-championships-results photo © 2024 Tarzan Aqzawa, all rights reserved