Skip to main content

Stephen Mayaka

Part three in a series of republished feature interviews. Born Nov. 27, 1972 in Kisii, Kenya, Stephen Mayaka came to Japan in 1990 to run for Yamanashi Gakuin University Prep High School as the first Kenyan high school runner in Japanese history. He went on to Yamanashi Gakuin University, then the Daiei corporate team following graduation. In 1998 he changed to the Hitachi Cable team where he remained until his retirement.

In 1999 he married 1995 World Championships marathoner Sachiyo Seiyama and in 2001 the couple's first child, a daughter, was born. They later had a son. Mayaka received Japanese citizenship in 2005 and became a coach with Sozo Gakuen University's track and field team in 2006. In 2009 he became the team's head coach, then moved to his current position as head coach at Obirin University. In addition to coaching, he serves as mentor for many of the top Kenyan athletes in Japan.

In part one of JRN's interview with Mayaka, he talks about being discovered and the challenges he faced adjusting first to life in a Japanese high school and then in a university. He compares and contrasts this with the experiences of some of the top Japan-based Kenyans including Samuel Wanjiru and Martin Mathathi.

In part two of the interview he talks about life on Japan's corporate teams and the difficulties Kenyans and other foreign runners face in fitting into the shifting demands of the system.

Personal Bests

5000 m: 13:28.45 10000 m: 28:00.25 half-marathon: 1:01:15

Major Results

1997 World University Games Half-Marathon: silver medal
1997 Sapporo International Half-Marathon: 1:03:57, 1st
1996 Sapporo International Half-Marathon: 1:02:02, 1st
1995 Sapporo International Half-Marathon: 1:01:43 - CR, 1st
1995 World University Games 10000 m: silver medal
1995 Tokyo City Half-Marathon: 1:01:15 - PB
1995 National University T&F Championships 10000 m: 28:49, 1st
1994 Hakone Ekiden 2nd Stage: 1:07:34 - CR, 1st
1994 National University T&F Championships 10000 m: 28:27 - MR, 1st
1994 National University Ekiden Championships 1st Stage: 42:38 - CR, 1st
1994 Gold Coast Half-Marathon, Australia: 1:01:48, 1st
1993 National University T&F Championships 10000 m: 28:58, 1st
1993 National T&F Championships 10000 m: 28:25, 1st
1993 National University Ekiden Championships 3rd Stage: 27:05 - CR, 1st
1992 National University Ekiden Championships 8th Stage: 57:48 - CR, 1st
1991 National Junior T&F Championships 10000 m: 1st

© 2010 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more