MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier

MGC Race Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier - Yuki Sato

Yuki Sato

age: 32
sponsor: Nissin Shokuhin
graduated from: Saku Chosei H.S., Tokai University

best time inside MGC window:
2:08:58, 10th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

PB: 2:08:58, 10th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon

other PBs:
5000 m: 13:13.60 (2013) 10000 m: 27:38.25 (2009) half marathon: 1:02:30 (2019)

marathons inside MGC window (Aug. 1 2017 – April 30 2019)
16th, 2019 Tokyo Marathon, 2:15:07
6th, 2018 Berlin Marathon, 2:09:18
10th, 2018 Tokyo Marathon, 2:08:58 – PB
DNF, 2017 Fukuoka International Marathon

other major results:
6th, 2019 HDC Abashiri Meet 10000 m, 28:08.34
2nd, 2019 Gold Coast Half Marathon, 1:02:36
2nd, 2019 Sendai International Half Marathon, 1:02:30 – PB
DNF, 2019 Marugame Half Marathon
13th, 2019 New Year Ekiden Fourth Stage (22.4 km), 1:06:03
2nd, 2018 East Japan Corporate Ekiden Fifth Stage (7.8 km), 23:00
DNF, 2018 National Championships 10000 m
16th, 2018 Marugame Half Marathon, 1:02:33
15th, 2017 Valencia Half Marathon, 1:02:53
4th, 2017 National Championships 10000 m, 28:09.01
DNF, 2017 Tokyo Marathon
11th, 2016 London Marathon, 2:12:14
14th, 2015 Berlin Marathon, 2:12:32
20th, 2015 Tokyo Marathon, 2:14:15
30th, 2013 Tokyo Marathon, 2:16:31
2nd, 2009 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:02:18
1st, 2008 Hakone Ekiden Seventh Stage (21.3 km), 1:02:35 – CR
1st, 2007 Hakone Ekiden First Stage (21.4 km), 1:01:06 – CR
1st, 2006 Hakone Ekiden Third Stage (21.5 km), 1:02:12 – CR

Sato has taken his time transitioning into the marathon, a superstar at the Hakone Ekiden and one of Japan’s all-time greats on the track but taking five years to progress from a 2:16:31 debut to the 2:08:58 that got him into the MGC Race. A graduate of Saku Chosei H.S., the only high school with three male graduates in the field, and of Tokai University, where he set new Hakone stage records three out of four years, fans had expected marathon success from Sato pretty much from day one. But as the years went by and a new generation started to take over Sato’s presence faded into the general background of the corporate scene. If he’d run 2:08 even a year or two earlier it would have been big news, but by the time he did get there he was a kilometer behind Yuta Shitara (Honda).

Sato followed that up with a solid 2:09:18 in Berlin, then went for it in Tokyo this year. Along with Berlin 4th-placer Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu) and fellow Saku Chosei grad Suguru Osako (Nike Oregon Project) Sato went through halfway in 1:02:04, well faster than his half marathon PB. All three ended up paying for it, but the belief and ambition were there. Since then Sato has run two good half marathons, including beating Fukuoka winner Yuma Hattori (Toyota) at July's Gold Coast Half Marathon, and finished high up in the field against a lot of other MGC qualifiers at the Hokuren Distance Challenge Abashiri 10000 m in late July before heading to St. Moritz for altitude training.

As a marathoner he’s still short on credentials, but there’s no question about his talent or fitness. And when Nissin Shokuhin disbanded its corporate team earlier this year he was one of the only runners they kept on board, specifically to get him to the Olympics, so you know his motivation is high. Like Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) in the women’s race, Sato isn’t one of the favorites, but it would be a mistake to count him out.

Next profile: Reia Iwade (Under Armour).

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

World Marathon Majors Japanese Entries

We're back from a short summer break. A week and a half out from the first race of the season's four World Marathon Majors races, here's a look at Japanese athletes scheduled to run. Everything right now is about qualifying for the MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to be held in the fall of 2027 in Nagoya. The JAAF makes no mistake about wanting to keep its top people racing domestically where it can get a share of revenue from the TV broadcast and race operations, so anyone who decides to race overseas has to do it in a WA platinum label race and hit either 2:06:30 or 2:23:30, regardless of place, course or weather if they want to make the trials. At the same time concessions are make for domestic races, like for example the late-August Hokkaido Marathon where up to 3 men and 3 women can qualify if they go 2:12:00 or 2:32:00. As a result, you get things like last year where amateur runner Yudai Fukuda made the trials by finishing 3rd Jap...

Nakajima Breaks 100 mH NR Twice, Kitaguchi Returns - August Track Roundup

Catching up on what's been happening in track and field this month during our summer break: Men's 3000 m NR holder Nagiya Mori was just off his 5000 m PB at the IFAM Oordegem meet in Belgium on Aug. 1, taking 16th in 13:15.01. Shota Nakano was 26th of 28 in 13:35.02. This year's national champion Ryoma Aoki ran the 3000 mSC but didn't finish. Naoto Hasegawa was the only Japanese athlete at Mutaz Essa Barshim 's What Gravity Tour stop at the Monaco Athletics Festival meet on Aug. 5. Having cleared 2.30 m for the first time earlier this year Hasegawa only managed 2.18 m in Monaco, taking 7th of 10. There were a lot of good performances at the Fuji Hokuriku World Trial meet in Fujiyoshida on Aug. 9, but the one that got the headlines was a 12.62 (-0.2) NR in the women's 100 mH by Hitomi Nakajima . Nakajima actually did it twice, running 12.62 (+2.0) in the heats before repeating in the final. Masumi Aoki also ran big in the heats, with a 12.68 (+2.0) for al...

japan running news

Search This Blog