Vote For the JAAF Athletics Awards' MVP of 2018

The JAAF is asking for fan votes on the MVP of Japanese athletics in 2018. Vote here. Fill out the voting form by Friday Japan time as follows:

1. e-mail address
2. username
3. male (男性) or female (女性)
4. age
5. If you follow the JAAF, select how.
6. You have a chance to win prizes. Choose A for tickets to the JAAF Athletics Awards Dec. 17 in Tokyo. Choose B for a JAAF calendar. Choose C for a personalized message if your pick wins.
7. Choose the athlete you're voting for (see below).
8. Enter your reason for choosing that athlete.
9. submit

Worthy contenders among JAAF-nomiated long distance athletes include:

• Hiroto Inoue: 井上大仁（MHPS） - 2:06:54 at Tokyo Marathon and first Asian Games marathon gold medal by Japanese man in 32 years, neither in Vaporfly 4%.
• Yuki Kawauchi: 川内優輝（埼玉県庁）- First-ever Japanese winner of an Abbott World Marathon Majors race and first Japanese Boston Marathon winner in 31 years.
• Nao Kazami: 風見尚（愛三工業）- Men's 100 km world record.
• Suguru Osako: 大迫傑（Nike）- 2:05:50 national record in VF 4%.
• Yuta Shitara: 設楽悠太（Honda）- 2:06:11 national record in VF 4%, breaking 16-year-old NR.
• Nozomi Tanaka: 田中希実（ＮＤ ２８ＡＣ）- World U20 Championships women's 3000 m gold medal, Japan's first-ever.

Vote well and vote often, but vote by this Friday Japan time. Sadly, Hitomi Niiya's jaw-dropping CR comeback run on the anchor stage of the East Japan Women's Ekiden didn't earn her a nomination, but I have the feeling she'll be earning at least a nomination in 2019 and 2020.