by Brett Larner
Men`s Marathon
Atsushi Sato
Born: May 8, 1978, Fukushima Prefecture
Team Affiliation: Chugoku Denryoku
Olympic Event PB: 2:07:13, 12/2/07
Season Highlights:
-35th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:04:01, 6/15/08
-2nd place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 28:16.94, 5/17/08
-winner, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 5000m: 13:47.13, 5/11/08
-3rd place and all-time Japanese 4th best, Fukuoka Int’l Marathon: 2:07:13, 12/2/07
Career Highlights:
-NR and AR, half marathon: 1:00:25, 2007
-Former Univ. NR, marathon: 2:09:50, 2000
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2003
-World Road Running Championships, 2007
-World Half Marathon Championships, 2002
-Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 2000-2002, 2004-2005, 2007
-Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2002
Atsushi Sato is Japan`s best current male marathoner. An ekiden runner of incredible intensity, he set the previous university national record in the marathon while at Waseda University, going on to record two 2:08 performances and earning a spot on the Paris World Championships Marathon team. He became known as a serious student of the marathon, making meticulous adjustments in his form and practice in order to run an optimal race but was unable to translate this into a breakthrough performance. He suffered several mediocre years in which his only strong performances came in corporate ekidens, lasting until the 2007 New Year Ekiden championship. In this race he ran with almost superhuman aggression, a truly beautiful performance which prompted race commentator and marathon legend Toshihiko Seko to say he believes Sato will be the first Japanese to run 2:05.
An injury kept Sato from running the 2007 London Marathon, but in October`s World Road Running Championships he set the current half marathon national record of 1:00:25. Soon afterwards he finally had the breakthrough marathon he had been looking for, running 2:07:13 to finish 3rd in the Fukuoka Int’l Marathon against half marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru and sub-hour half marathoner Deriba Merga. Sato pushed hard against the two Africans, even making a move to break away after the 30 km point. It said much that Wanjiru, while completely ignoring the faster Merga, repeatedly checked on Sato`s condition and position in the later stages of the race. After the race Sato himself said he believes a 2:05 is possible.
In the spring Sato`s stated goal was to break Toshinari Takaoka`s 10000m national record of 27:35.09, but again injuries disrupted his plans. He ran well against Kenyan competition in several track races in the late spring, but at June`s Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon Sato marked a dismal 1:04:01 to land in 35th place. His camp shrugged the result off as only what is to be expected from a race during peak marathon training, but just weeks later Sato`s coach Yasushi Sakaguchi cancelled Sato`s planned altitude training in St. Moritz, Switzerland due to signs of fatigue. A fully fit and confident Sato would be a dangerous medal contender in Beijing, but his questionable condition and lack of proven experience in heat suggest that he could just as easily end up the last man on the Japanese team.
Tsuyoshi Ogata
Born: May 11, 1973, Hiroshima Prefecture
Team Affiliation: Chugoku Denryoku
Olympic Event PB: 2:08:37, 2003
Season Highlights:
-10th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:02:46, 6/15/08
-5th place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 28:51.59, 5/17/08
-20th place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 5000m: 14:15.14, 5/11/08
-18th place, Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 29:08.30, 4/28/08
-5th place, World T&F Championships Marathon: 2:17:42, 8/25/07
Career Highlights:
-Bronze medal, World T&F Championships Marathon, 2005
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2003, 2005, 2007
-Winner, Fukuoka Int’l Marathon, 2004
-World Half Marathon Championships, 1999
-Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 1997 and 2004
-Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2004
A veteran of three World Championships marathons including a bronze medal at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships and a medal-worthy 5th place performance at last year`s Osaka World Championships, Tsuyoshi Ogata is Japan`s best chance for a marathon medal in Beijing. It has been several years since Ogata, the oldest member of the Japanese team at age 35, has run his fastest times, but he has emerged instead as a talented tactical racer and strong finisher with proven ability in the heat. Ogata has been largely invisible since the Osaka World Championships, running in a few winter ekidens and late-spring track races, but at June`s Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon he emerged in excellent form, finishing far ahead of Olympic teammates Satoshi Osaki and Atsushi Sato and just a step behind Osaka World Championships Marathon bronze medalist Viktor Rothlin of Switerland.
In Beijing Ogata will likely employ the same strategy which served him well in Helsinki and Osaka, hanging back from the lead pack until the final 5 to 7 km, then attacking without reservation. If the race is not one of pure speed and Ogata judges the competition accurately, as in Helsinki, he will pick up the bronze medal. If he underestimates his rivals` closing power, as he did in Osaka where he overtook the pack of bronze medal contenders in the last two km only to be outkicked by Rothlin and 4th place finisher Yared Asmerom of Eritrea, he will end up just outside the medals. Ogata will doubtlessly have Osaka in mind and will not make the same mistake again. In any scenario other than a speed race it would be truly surprising to see Ogata finish outside the top 10.
Withdrawn:
Satoshi Osaki
Born: June 4, 1976, Osaka
Team Affiliation: NTT Nishi Nihon
Olympic Event PB: 2:08:36, 3/2/08
Season Highlights:
-18th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:03:10, 6/15/08
-3rd place, Golden Games in Nobeoka 5000m C-group: 13:55.16, 6/1/08
-22nd place, Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 29:43.22, 4/28/08
-3rd place and PB, Biwako Mainichi Marathon: 2:08:36, 3/2/08
Career Highlights:
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2007
-Bronze medal, Asia Games Marathon, 2006
-2nd place, Tokyo Int’l Marathon: 2:08:46, 2004
Until 2006 Satoshi Osaki was a relatively faceless jitsugyodan company runner whose only noteworthy performance was a 2:08:46 at the 2004 Tokyo Int`l Marathon, an excellent time but one which was to earn him a slot on the Athens Olympics team. In Dec. 2006 Osaki showed some special talent, reaching the goal line of the Doha Asian Games Marathon in very hot conditions in a photo finish with Khalid Kamal Yaseen of Bahrain and receiving the bronze medal. On the strength of this performance he was given a spot on the 2007 Osaka World Championships Marathon team where he once again showed a capacity for running in the heat and finished 6th. A PB of 2:08:36 at the 2008 Biwako Mainichi Marathon sealed Osaki`s Beijing Olympics team position.
Osaki has run a few races since winning Biwako, including a modest 1:03:10 18th-place finish at the Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon in June. He has reportedly been carrying out the best training of his life and has stated in interviews that he is going after the gold medal. While such a result would be a very long shot, his proven aptitude in hot championship races indicates that Osaki has a realistic chance for a bronze medal.
© 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
photos from Rikuren archive
Men`s Marathon
Atsushi SatoBorn: May 8, 1978, Fukushima Prefecture
Team Affiliation: Chugoku Denryoku
Olympic Event PB: 2:07:13, 12/2/07
Season Highlights:
-35th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:04:01, 6/15/08
-2nd place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 28:16.94, 5/17/08
-winner, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 5000m: 13:47.13, 5/11/08
-3rd place and all-time Japanese 4th best, Fukuoka Int’l Marathon: 2:07:13, 12/2/07
Career Highlights:
-NR and AR, half marathon: 1:00:25, 2007
-Former Univ. NR, marathon: 2:09:50, 2000
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2003
-World Road Running Championships, 2007
-World Half Marathon Championships, 2002
-Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 2000-2002, 2004-2005, 2007
-Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2002
Atsushi Sato is Japan`s best current male marathoner. An ekiden runner of incredible intensity, he set the previous university national record in the marathon while at Waseda University, going on to record two 2:08 performances and earning a spot on the Paris World Championships Marathon team. He became known as a serious student of the marathon, making meticulous adjustments in his form and practice in order to run an optimal race but was unable to translate this into a breakthrough performance. He suffered several mediocre years in which his only strong performances came in corporate ekidens, lasting until the 2007 New Year Ekiden championship. In this race he ran with almost superhuman aggression, a truly beautiful performance which prompted race commentator and marathon legend Toshihiko Seko to say he believes Sato will be the first Japanese to run 2:05.
An injury kept Sato from running the 2007 London Marathon, but in October`s World Road Running Championships he set the current half marathon national record of 1:00:25. Soon afterwards he finally had the breakthrough marathon he had been looking for, running 2:07:13 to finish 3rd in the Fukuoka Int’l Marathon against half marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru and sub-hour half marathoner Deriba Merga. Sato pushed hard against the two Africans, even making a move to break away after the 30 km point. It said much that Wanjiru, while completely ignoring the faster Merga, repeatedly checked on Sato`s condition and position in the later stages of the race. After the race Sato himself said he believes a 2:05 is possible.
In the spring Sato`s stated goal was to break Toshinari Takaoka`s 10000m national record of 27:35.09, but again injuries disrupted his plans. He ran well against Kenyan competition in several track races in the late spring, but at June`s Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon Sato marked a dismal 1:04:01 to land in 35th place. His camp shrugged the result off as only what is to be expected from a race during peak marathon training, but just weeks later Sato`s coach Yasushi Sakaguchi cancelled Sato`s planned altitude training in St. Moritz, Switzerland due to signs of fatigue. A fully fit and confident Sato would be a dangerous medal contender in Beijing, but his questionable condition and lack of proven experience in heat suggest that he could just as easily end up the last man on the Japanese team.
Tsuyoshi OgataBorn: May 11, 1973, Hiroshima Prefecture
Team Affiliation: Chugoku Denryoku
Olympic Event PB: 2:08:37, 2003
Season Highlights:
-10th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:02:46, 6/15/08
-5th place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 10000m: 28:51.59, 5/17/08
-20th place, Central Japan Pro T&F Championships 5000m: 14:15.14, 5/11/08
-18th place, Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 29:08.30, 4/28/08
-5th place, World T&F Championships Marathon: 2:17:42, 8/25/07
Career Highlights:
-Bronze medal, World T&F Championships Marathon, 2005
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2003, 2005, 2007
-Winner, Fukuoka Int’l Marathon, 2004
-World Half Marathon Championships, 1999
-Nat’l T&F Championships 10000m, 1997 and 2004
-Nat’l T&F Championships 5000m, 2004
A veteran of three World Championships marathons including a bronze medal at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships and a medal-worthy 5th place performance at last year`s Osaka World Championships, Tsuyoshi Ogata is Japan`s best chance for a marathon medal in Beijing. It has been several years since Ogata, the oldest member of the Japanese team at age 35, has run his fastest times, but he has emerged instead as a talented tactical racer and strong finisher with proven ability in the heat. Ogata has been largely invisible since the Osaka World Championships, running in a few winter ekidens and late-spring track races, but at June`s Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon he emerged in excellent form, finishing far ahead of Olympic teammates Satoshi Osaki and Atsushi Sato and just a step behind Osaka World Championships Marathon bronze medalist Viktor Rothlin of Switerland.
In Beijing Ogata will likely employ the same strategy which served him well in Helsinki and Osaka, hanging back from the lead pack until the final 5 to 7 km, then attacking without reservation. If the race is not one of pure speed and Ogata judges the competition accurately, as in Helsinki, he will pick up the bronze medal. If he underestimates his rivals` closing power, as he did in Osaka where he overtook the pack of bronze medal contenders in the last two km only to be outkicked by Rothlin and 4th place finisher Yared Asmerom of Eritrea, he will end up just outside the medals. Ogata will doubtlessly have Osaka in mind and will not make the same mistake again. In any scenario other than a speed race it would be truly surprising to see Ogata finish outside the top 10.
Withdrawn:
Satoshi OsakiBorn: June 4, 1976, Osaka
Team Affiliation: NTT Nishi Nihon
Olympic Event PB: 2:08:36, 3/2/08
Season Highlights:
-18th place, Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon: 1:03:10, 6/15/08
-3rd place, Golden Games in Nobeoka 5000m C-group: 13:55.16, 6/1/08
-22nd place, Hyogo Relay Carnival 10000m: 29:43.22, 4/28/08
-3rd place and PB, Biwako Mainichi Marathon: 2:08:36, 3/2/08
Career Highlights:
-World T&F Championships Marathon, 2007
-Bronze medal, Asia Games Marathon, 2006
-2nd place, Tokyo Int’l Marathon: 2:08:46, 2004
Until 2006 Satoshi Osaki was a relatively faceless jitsugyodan company runner whose only noteworthy performance was a 2:08:46 at the 2004 Tokyo Int`l Marathon, an excellent time but one which was to earn him a slot on the Athens Olympics team. In Dec. 2006 Osaki showed some special talent, reaching the goal line of the Doha Asian Games Marathon in very hot conditions in a photo finish with Khalid Kamal Yaseen of Bahrain and receiving the bronze medal. On the strength of this performance he was given a spot on the 2007 Osaka World Championships Marathon team where he once again showed a capacity for running in the heat and finished 6th. A PB of 2:08:36 at the 2008 Biwako Mainichi Marathon sealed Osaki`s Beijing Olympics team position.
Osaki has run a few races since winning Biwako, including a modest 1:03:10 18th-place finish at the Sapporo Int’l Half Marathon in June. He has reportedly been carrying out the best training of his life and has stated in interviews that he is going after the gold medal. While such a result would be a very long shot, his proven aptitude in hot championship races indicates that Osaki has a realistic chance for a bronze medal.
© 2008 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
photos from Rikuren archive
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