Coach Maeda Calls Osaka Winner Hirabayashi "The Atsushi Fujita of Our Era" (updated)

Koku Gakuin University 3rd-year Kiyoto Hirabayashi, 21, won Sunday's Osaka Marathon in a debut and collegiate record 2:06:18. KGU head coach Yasuhiro Maeda said the secret to Hirabayashi's speed was "the flexibility of his range of motion." At 168 cm and 44 kg Hirabayashi has a "lightweight body," and rather than adding muscle mass the focus has been on increasing flexibility to enable Hirabayashi to run with a long, dynamic stride like African athletes. In Hirabayshi's training Maeda incorporates a program created by a physical trainer to increase Hirabayashi's mobility in areas like the hip joints and shoulder blades. Although he is very thin, it doesn't mean Hirabayashi doesn't eat well. "He eats a lot, but he just doesn't gain weight," Maeda said.

In training Hirabayashi can push both the quantity and quality of his training to his limit. "He's been preparing for this marathon since last summer," Maeda said. "He put in the work." While building his base mileage last summer Hirabayashi ran 1200 km in August. He had originally planned to run Osaka last year but had to pull out with injury. "If he'd run this last year he'd have run about 2:10," said Maeda. "Since then he's gone up a level or two in ability."

Hirabayashi has an honest, straightforward personality that Maeda likes. "He's got a strong heart. He doesn't get distracted by temptations," Maeda said, "and he puts everything into his races." When Maeda was a student at Komazawa University, he saw the same characteristics in his older teammate Atsushi Fujita, who went on to run a 2:06:51 national record while winning the 2000 Fukuoka International Marathon. "They have a lot in common in how they go about things. He's the Fujita of our era."

In the immediate future, Hirabayashi will run the Shanghai Half Marathon in late April. "The food and other things are different when you race overseas, so I want him to get experience with that as soon as he can," said Maeda. The plan is for Hirabayashi to run next year's Osaka or Tokyo Marathon before he graduates to qualify for the 2025 Tokyo World Championships. "If everything goes right he might have a shot at breaking 2:04," said Maeda.

In raising the possibility of a new NR Maeda is optimistic about Hirabayashi's future. "He's just a Cinderella Baby, though. It's too early to call him a Cinderella Boy." Post-graduation Hirabayashi plans to join a corporate team but will stay based at Koku Gakuin University to continue being coached by Maeda in prep for the Los Angeles Olympics. "I want to help him get ready to be competitive on the world's biggest stage," Maeda said.

source articles:

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/62157e56fd55149a5c03acdd10f15b5bb5fb35f1

https://www.rikujyokyogi.co.jp/archives/129271

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...

3 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games (updated)

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. Update: On Oct. 3 a third athlete, kurash wrestler Yash Kumar Chauhan of India, was provisionally suspended after an in-competition test detected the steroid metandienone, the metabolic modulator GW1516, and the stimulant mephentermine in his system. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner

East Japan Corporate Ekiden English Commentary

For the time being I'll be using this post for English commentary on today's East Japan Jitsugyodan Ekiden Championships. Reload article to see updates. Race broadcast starts at 1:55 p.m. Japan time. Click here to watch TBS' broadcast online.

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