Skip to main content

Yuko Arimori on Anniversary of First Japanese Women's Olympic Medal and Death of Its Winner Kinue Hitomi: "Never Forget Her"



An event looking back at the life of Japan's first female Olympian and first female Olympic medalist Kinue Hitomi, winner of the silver medal in the 800 m at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, took place at Tokyo's Mainichi Hall on Aug. 2. Two-time Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori and judo Olympic medalist Kaori Yamaguchi discussed the achievements of the pioneer of women's sports and the hardships she faced.

Aug. 2 is the anniversary of the day Hitomi won her medal in Amsterdam. It is also the anniversary of her death three years later at just 24 years old. Like Hitomi a native of Okayama prefecture, Arimori also won her first marathon medal, a silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, on Aug. 2, the first Japanese woman in the 64 years since Hitomi to medal in track and field at the Olympics. "It was thanks to Hitomi having led the way that I had the courage to do what I did at the Olympics and later as a pro," Arimori reflected. "Everyone involved in sports must never forget her."

Translator's note: Having set multiple national and world records in sprints and field events, Hitomi choked and didn't make it out of the 100 m semifinals in Amsterdam. Distraught, she asked to be put in the 800 m, a distance she had never run. As shown in the video above, after finishing 2nd in the semifinal she started the final with a crouching start and immediately took the lead. Other members of the Japanese team told her to slow down, which she did, before coming back in the last 200 m to take silver behind Germany's Lina Radke, both of them breaking the world record. The depiction of the race in NHK's ongoing Idaten drama about the history of Japan and the Olympics, mixing real and recreated footage, has been the highlight of the series so far by a long shot. The highlights clip below cuts out the historical footage but you get the feeling. Aug. 2 will also be the date of the women's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, surely not a coincidence.




source article:
https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2019/08/03/kiji/20190802s00056000365000c.html
translated by Brett Larner

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Metts said…
I've watch this drama on NHK a lot. Of course now focusing on the Olympics. I don't get the constant yelling or screaming though, or so it seems. Even now on Saturday at 1:00 I've got it on.
August 3, 2019 at 1:48 PM
Andrew Armiger said…
Thank you for this! 🙏
August 7, 2019 at 2:49 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more

Mashiko Breaks U20 5000 m NR - Weekend Track Roundup

Saturday's Kanakuri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto was the weekend's main event in Japanese track, but there were good results at the Nittai University Time Trials meet in Yokohama too. Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) led the men's 5000 m A-heat at Kanakuri in 13:14.06, with Tomonori Yamaguchi (SGH) clocking the fastest Japanese time in 13:16.38 in his first race as a corporate leaguer. Waseda University duo Rui Suzuki and Yota Mashiko went 6-7 in 13:20.64 and 13:22.87, the 18-year-old Mashiko shaving 0.04 off the U20 NR. In 8th, Yamato Yoshii (Toyota) ran a PB of 13:23.92. 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura (Subaru) continued to struggle after a weak indoor season, finishing 18th of 20 finishers in 13:45.10. 19-year-old Festus Kimorwo (Kurosaki Harima) was under 13:20 in the B-heat too, winning in a 13:19.59 PB. 2 more collegiate men broke 13:30, Daichi Fujita (Chuo Univ.) 8th in 13:28.93 and Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) 9th in 13:29.09. The top 6 in the men's 800 m A-hea...
Post a Comment
Read more