japan running news

Dark horse Masato Arao and Paris Olympics marathon team alternate Ai Hosoda took the top Japanese spots in the TCS Sydney Marathon 's first edition as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, both finishing 6th. Ranked 20th in the field, Arao, who this time last year was working a full-time job after not getting a corporate team contract post-college, came to Sydney for his international debut with the A-goal of making top 10 off a 1:30:50 win at the hilly Ome 30 km in February and an almost 10-minute PB of 2:08:05 in his second marathon at Tokyo in February. After driving the course and seeing the major hills in the first 15 km he opted out of going with the lead group, deciding to stick with the 2nd group on 2:08 pace until things leveled out after 15 km and seeing how it went. As it turned out the lead group with all the big names was a lot slower than planned, never more than a minute ahead of the 2nd group including Arao, Kento Kikutani , Kosei Machida and Australians Haft...

On Aug. 25 the JAAF announced that it has reversed 29-year-old sprinter Fuga Sato 's disqualification in the July 6 National Championships men's 400 m final, giving him the national title for the second time in his career. It is unusual for official results to be amended after the end of the competition. According to the JAAF, there was a discrepancy in officials' interpretation of World Athletics rules in disqualifying Sato. The reversal elevated Sato in the final update to World Athletics' rankings following the Aug. 24 Tokyo World Athletics Championships qualification deadline, moving him up from outside the quota to 46th of 48 qualified athletes. He is now expected to be named to his third-straight World Championships team. The events in question were part of the National Track and Field Championships, which doubled this year as the main selection event for the Tokyo World Championships. Sato finished 1st in the men's 400 m final on July 6 but was ruled to have ...

On Aug. 26 the JAAF announced that although it has complied with World Athletics' mandate for genetic testing of female athletes competing in next month's Tokyo World Athletics Championships, it is not in a position to know the testing results of individual athletes. On July 24 World Athletics had announced that in order for athletes to compete in women's events at the Tokyo World Championships they must undergo testing by Sept. 1 to check for the presence of the SRY gene on the Y chromosome, a determining factor in the development of male biological characteristics. Results of the testing are communicated to the athletes themselves and are not sent to the JAAF. The lineup of the women's national team for the Tokyo World Championships will only be announced after confirmation that athletes have both met the entry requirements and undergone testing, creating concerns that some athletes may later be found to be ineligible after having already been named to the team. At a ...

On Aug. 25 the organizers of next month's Tokyo World Athletics Championships announced their plans for the medal ceremonies at the Championships. As previously announced in June along with the designs for medals, the award ceremonies will be held on a stage to be set up outside the National Stadium on its south side near the F Gate. The decision follows the groundbreaking setup that proved popular at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. The first medal ceremony will be held before the start of the evening session on the second day of the Championships, with the ceremony for the afternoon session on the final day planned for after the evening session ends. A fan photo zone where fans can interact with medalists will be set adjacent to the stage. To give children the experience of seeing the operation of a major championship behind the scenes, local junior high school students will be chosen to act as guides escorting the medalists to the stage. source article: https://www.rikujyo...

On August 25 the organizing committee of the 2025 Tokyo World Athletics Championships determined that the final decision whether to go ahead with the competition in the event of heat, typhoon or other extreme circumstances will be in the hands of World Athletics. Given that multiple venues will be in use simultaneously throughout the World Championships, a Venue General Manager will be in place to oversee competition venues, warm-up venues, athlete hotels, and on-site decision-making. A liaison, ceremony and control team led by the organizing committee head will operate within the National Stadium to handle important issues and communicate with World Athletics and other relevant parties. In the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or typhoon, or in case of a serious accident or other incident, the event crisis management led by the organizing committee chairperson will make the necessary decisions and lead the on-site crisis response. The crisis management plan is still in finaliz...

Primarily known for his work in women's long distance, coach Manabu Kawagoe passed away suddenly on Aug. 22 after suffering a stroke. He was 63. A native of Kagoshima, in his days as an athlete Kawagoe ran at Kagoshima Minami H.S. and Waseda University . He was a member of 2 Hakone Ekiden champion teams at Waseda and won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the National University Championships. After graduating from Waseda Kawagoe joined Shiseido , going on to serve as assistant coach and then head coach. He coached top female athletes like 2008 Chicago Marathon 3rd-placer Kiyoko Shimahara , 10000 m national champion Yoshiko Fujinaga and marathoners Yuri Kano and Akemi Ozaki , and in 2006 led Shiseido to its first National Corporate Women's Ekiden victory. In 2007 he left. Shiseido to form the Second Wind pro team, a new model that brought together his top pro women together with amateurs and junior athletes. In 2011 he became head coach of the Edion corporate team, and in 201...

A few updates as we get near the bottom of the barrel for qualifying for next month's Tokyo World Athletics Championships. The Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea brought some clarity down around the cusp for qualification in a few events. The biggest result from the Japanese point of view was in the men's javelin throw, where National Championships 3rd-placer Gen Naganuma , currently the 2nd Japanese man in line for a roll down spot behind Rin Suzuki , threw 78.60 m for 2nd. Based on the current Road to Tokyo rankings that was enough to move him up into 35th in the 36-deep javelin quota, bumping down Suzuki who has been in poor form the last two months and threw only 68.85 m for 11th in Mokpo. Sri Lankan Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won at 82.05 m. The #2 woman on the Japanese women's javelin squad, Momone Ueda threw a PB and championships record 62.20 m for the win over Sri Lankan Dilhani Lekamge , 2nd at 57.53 m. #3 Japanese woman Sae Takemoto was 4th at ...

A Tokyo Olympian in the men's 100 m, Shuhei Tada (29, Sumitomo Denko) has announced that he is taking a break. Tada finished 7th in the 100 m at the Aug. 20 Twilight Games at Kanagawa's Nissan Stadium, running 10.32 (-0.3). After that race Tada said, "I was feeling tired. But some of the others who had been racing a lot still put in good times, so I think my lack of training after my injury last year is impacting me now." Tada was unable to hit the 10.00 qualifying standard for September's Tokyo World Athletics Championships. "I'm going to take some time off and rest for a while until the day comes when there's a way forward." In 2017 Tada ran a wind-aided 9.94, the first time a Japanese man broke 10 on Japanese soil. With his fast start he was an important part of Japan's bronze medal-winning 4x100 m relay teams at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Given the recent surge in the number of talented young athletes Tada said he found inspi...

On Aug. 20 it was learned that World Athletics will be setting up facilities in the athlete hotel to provide mental care for athletes competing at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, which begin on Sept. 13. The move is part of a broader effort by World Athletics to support athlete mental health, and it will be the first time a mental health support space has been provided at a World Athletics Championships. World Athletics CEO John Ridgeon revealed the plans in an interview with Kyodo News. In the world of sports there have been increasing problems with athletes suffering mental issues due to the extreme pressure. "Major competitions can be highly stressful for athletes, and our goal is assist them in dealing with that stress," Ridgeon commented. The plan calls for two rooms to be made available at the official athlete hotel. One will be a quiet space where athletes can find calm, and the other a room where they can experience traditional Japanese culture and refresh t...

Just a few days left now before the Aug. 24 deadline for qualification for the Tokyo World Championships and the Japanese athletes on the cusp of making the home team are scrambling to find points to make the cut. The Athlete Night Games meet this past weekend had a big impact, especially in the two toughest squads to make outside the road events, the men's high jump and men's 100 m. 2.27m man Yuto Seko improbably jumped the 2.33m Tokyo standard, knocking last week's big mover Naoto Hasegawa (Niigata Albirex RC) off the team. Asian champion Hiroki Yanagita hit the 100 m standard with a 10.00 (+0.3) PB but will almost definitely still be left off the team in favor of Abdul Hakim Sani Brown , 9.96 last summer but not under 10.31 so far this year. Hurdlers Rachid Muratake , Tatsuki Abe (Juntendo Univ.) and Mako Fukube (NKK) all hit their standards, and Towa Uzawa (JAL) and Hibiki Tsuha (Otsuka Seiyaku) both did well enough in the men's 200 m and men's long ju...

Having set an U18 world record of 10.00 in July's National High School Championships men's 100 m, 16-year-old Sorato Shimizu (Seiryo H.S.) held a public practice session in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. "I'm going for sub-10 while I'm still in high school," he said, indicating that he is aiming even higher. "I'm doing what I can to get there." The 2-hour public practice session focused on elements of motion. Although Shimizu is only 164 cm, he stands out for having proportionately long limbs and a dynamic running form. The up-and-coming new star of Japanese men's sprinting commented, "I want to work on movement focused on my hips. I think I can still improve my stride." Shimizu's performance at the National High School Championships got noticed not only in Japan but all around the world. German media even attended the session to interview him. "I want to become internationally competitive, so I hope a lot of people will get to find...

On Aug. 19 it was learned through interviews with sources at the JAAF that it is establishing its own independent human rights policy and code of conduct within this month to fight the problems of violence, harassment, defamation on social media, and voyeuristic photography. The move is one of very few of its kind among domestic sports organizations. The JAAF guidelines are based on those of World Athletics and are being implemented ahead of the Tokyo World Championships beginning Sept. 13. They will outline standards of behavior and ideals for everyone involved in the sport, not just athletes and coaches but also volunteers and parents. In order to ensure the ideals spread through the Japanese track and field world, the effort is being made at the level of the athletics association rather than leaving it up to the Japan Olympic Committee or Japan Sport Association. source article: https://news.jp/i/1330483178863313276# translated by Brett Larner

Like the Fuji Hokuroku World Trial meet 2 weeks ago, this weekend's Athlete Night Games in Fukui had a string of high-level performances that had a big impact on the lineup for Japan's home team at next month's Tokyo World Championships. Capping the meet was a stellar 12.92 (+0.6) NR in the men's 110 mH by Rachid Muratake (JAL), 2nd-fastest in the world this year, 11th-fastest in history, and the first sub-13 clocking by a Japanese man. Already on the Tokyo team thanks to a 5th-place finish in the Paris Olympics and a 13.08 (+1.4) best well under the 13.27 Tokyo standard, Muratake's performance here elevates him onto the short list of potential Japanese medal contenders. 3rd at Nationals, Muratake's former Juntendo University teammate Tatsuki Abe was 2nd in a PB of 13.12 that put him at all-time Japanese #4. Unfortunately for him, Nationals top 2 Shunsuke Izumiya (Sumitomo Denko) and Shusei Nomoto (Ehime T&F Assoc.) both have the standard too, so Abe...

No new additions to Japan's potential team for the Tokyo World Championships as things head into the last couple of weeks before the Aug. 24 qualifying deadline. The biggest mover this week was Naoto Hasegawa , 3rd in the men's high jump at July's National Championships, who scored back-to-back wins at the silver label Tirop P-T-S Meeting in Slovakia and gold label Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary to move up from 23rd to 18th in the quota of 36. Ken Toyoda also picked up a couple of places in the men's 400 mH off a 49.37 for 6th at the IFAM Oordegem meet in Belgium. Rin Suzuki 's chances of making the Tokyo team in the men’s javelin throw got a boost too despite a weak performance at the P-T-S Meeting. The 4th-placer there, Belgium's Timothy Herman , scored just enough points to come in between Suzuki and Nationals 3rd-placer Gen Naganuma , who had been separated by only 1 point in the Road to Tokyo rankings. That bumped Naganuma out of the top 36 while l...

In June Yuko Arimori , a native of Okayama, was named head of the JAAF . We talked to her about her vision as the new leader of the JAAF, her outlook for the future, and her plans for developing the next generation. "Through my work in athletics I want to help reiterate that sport is a necessity for both individuals and society, that it inspires people, brings them together, and helps them grow from the ground up," she says. Now 58, Arimori is not only the first woman to take the top position in the JAAF bureaucracy but also its first Olympian to do so. "Honestly, I never thought I'd be in a position to take on a role like this." Arimori won medals in the marathon at both the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She hopes that her own experience at that level can help inform the next generation. "It's going to take a lot of hard work to help the next generation achieve the dreams and goals that we weren't able to," she says. ...

With less than 3 weeks to go until the Aug. 24 deadline to qualify for September's Tokyo World Championships let's take a look at what kind of team Japan might have. In terms of potential medalists there are 6 solid candidates, all the usual suspects. World and Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi leads the women's javelin throw. Ranked 5th, Nanako Fujii has an outside chance in the women's 20 km race walk. On the men's side, Ryuji Miura looks to be a contender in the 3000 mSC where he's ranked 3rd. Toshikazu Yamanishi and Satoshi Maruo are ranked 1-2 in the 20 km race walk, with Masatora Kawano at 3rd in the 35 km race walk. After that it's the always-strong men's 4x100 m, ranked 2nd, although the big question is who is going to be on the team. In the marathon, you want to feel like Fukuoka CR breaker Yuya Yoshida has a chance. The women's javelin, marathon and race walks look like the only events where Japan is likely to field full squads of 3...