In his own days as an athlete at Waseda, Hanada played a role in the school's win at the 1993 Hakone Ekiden. After graduating he joined the SB Foods corporate team, going on to run for Japan at both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics. His coaching experience includes leading Jobu University to its first Hakone in 2009, and helping to found the GMO corporate team.
Central to Hanada's selection as new head coach was his former coach at both Waseda and SB, Toshihiko Seko, 65. After Hanada announced his resignation from GMO earlier this year, Seko called him about his alma mater, which had finished only 13th at this year's Hakone. Hanada went to observe the team's training. "Seko will be my ideal in coaching this team," Hanada said. "I want him to develop a team that will be strong at the Hakone Ekiden," commented Seko. "But more than that, I want his athletes to become people who can be internationally competitive as individuals."
"I hope that the athletes will truly listen to what I have to tell them, take it to heart, and feel the passion behind it," Hanada said. "I'm very motivated and enthusiastic about this, in a good way." Under his leadership, fans can look forward to seeing one of Hakone's most legendary teams regain its former power.
translated by Brett Larner
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