Hakone Champ Team Member Nakashima and National University Women's Ekiden Champ Team Member Takamatsu Marry
On July 28, Reiri Nakashima, 25, a member of a winning Hakone Ekiden team while in college, and 2018 1500 m national champion Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu, 23, announced on Twitter that they have gotten married. Nakashima was a member of Tokai University's 2019 Hakone-winning team, while Takamatsu was a member of national champion teams at both the National High School Ekiden and National University Women's Ekiden. Together they form one of the power couples of Japanese athletics.
The daughter of a Kenyan father and Japanese mother, Takamatsu came to Japan at age 1. At Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. she won the Second Stage at the National High School Ekiden, helping lead the team to the overall win. She was also a member of Meijo University's undefeated team at the National University Women's Ekiden and Mt. Fuji Women's Ekiden. She retired after graduating in 2022. Hailing from Himeji, Nakashima ran the downhill Sixth Stage at the Hakone Ekiden, helping Tokai score its first-ever Hakone title. After graduating he joined the Osaka Gas corporate team, which he left in 2021 to pursue a career as a Youtuber and club team operator.
Takamatsu wrote, "We've been working side-by-side for a long time, but now we'll be able to support each other properly. I have a lot of gratitude to my family, teachers and friends who helped support me. I'm still new to the working world but I want to keep working hard with the same kind of spirit I brought to my running." Nakashima wrote, "We've gotten married. I'm going to keep up my support as a coach, but I want to keep running a lot myself so that I never lose to her. We've got races coming up starting this week, so please keep cheering us both on."
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