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 will be watching from the stands. But his addition to the JPN all-time top 10 list makes it an even better time for Japanese men's hurdling.
But next to Muratake's NR, the performance of the weekend and probably the most stunning single result so far in Japanese Worlds qualification was in the men's high jump. Nationals top 3 Tomohiro Shinno (Kyudenko), Ryoichi Akamatsu (Seibu Prince) and Naoto Hasegawa (Niigata Albirex RC) are all in the top half of the Worlds quota of 36 without having hit the standard. Enter Nationals 5th-placer Yuto Seko (FAAS), 2.27 m in 2021 but only 2.24 m in 2023 and 2024 and with a 2025 season best of 2.25 m. The only one in Fukui over 2.20 m, Seko cleared 2.26 m on his second attempt, then jumped a PB 2.30 m on his 3rd attempt.
Next up was the 2.33 m Worlds standard, which he had no chance of hitting, right? It only took 2 attempts for him to clear it. 2 PBs in a row, putting him at all-time Japanese #2 and tying him for #4 in the world this year. Under the JAAF's team selection protocol, criterion #5 assigns places to top 8 finishers at Nationals who have the standard by the Aug. 24 qualifying deadline. That means Seko now has top priority in team selection over Shinno, Akamatsu and Hasegawa, who all qualify under criterion #6 by making top 8 at Nationals and being in the quota. In other words, Hasegawa now finds himself bumped off the team unless he can take his PB of 2.27 m to 2.33 m as well. He found about it right before making his Diamond League debut in Silesia, but there he was only able to clear 2.22 m for 9th.
The women's 100 mH was solid too. 3rd at Nationals but yet to hit the 12.73 Worlds standard and well outside the quota, NR holder Mako Fukube (NKK) just got there with a 12.73 (+1.4) meet record for the win. With Nationals runner-up Hitomi Nakajima (Hasetai) already under the standard at 12.71 (+0.7) and Yumi Tanaka (Fujitsu) relatively safe at 32nd of 40 in the quota it's looking like the Japanese women will have a full squad in Tokyo too.
Runner-up Chisato Kiyoyama (Ichigo) and 3rd-placer Rei Honda (Juntendo Univ.) were both under Fukube's old MR of 12.92 too, Kiyoyama in a PB of 12.84 and Honda in 12.91. In Honda's case that was a new university record, bettering the 13.02 run by Mao Shimano (Nittai Univ.) in June and the first sub-13 by a Japanese collegiate woman. Shimano actually did it too, 5th in 12.97, but had to watch as Honda took the collegiate record holder title from her. Kiyoyama, Honda and Shimano all took spots in the Japanese all-time top 10 list, with 4th-placer Yuki Omatsu (CDL) 0.1 off her own best at 12.95.
Men's 100 m national team qualification got even more complicated when Asian champion Hiroki Yanagita (Toyo Univ.) ran a PB 10.00 (+0.3) for the win, hitting the Tokyo standard dead on. That means that under team selection criterion #5, 2 places are already assigned to national champ Yoshihide Kiryu (Nihon Seimei), 9.99 (+1.5) at the Fuji Hokuroku meet, and Nationals 7th-placer Yuhi Mori (Daito Bunka Univ.), 10.00 (+1.3) in a different heat at Fuji Hokuroku.
Who takes the 3rd spot? Criterion #7 says it goes to people with the standard. That's now Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Toray), 9.96 (+0.5) in Paris last year but only 4th in his first-round heat at Nationals and only 10.31 (+1.1) this season, Sorato Shimizu (Seiryo H.S.) with a 10.00 (+1.7) high school record in June and 4th in his semifinal at Nationals, and now Yanagita, top 3 in every race he's run from May onward except for a false start DQ in his heat at Nationals. There's nothing specifically saying it will go according to ranking order, but popular opinion says the JAAF will just go in ranking order for the 3rd spot, meaning Sani Brown will get it instead of either of the younger athletes who have been in a lot better form this season. And with sub-10 man Yuki Koike (Sumitomo Denko) dropping a season best 10.08 for 2nd after having taking 5th at Nationals, not even Sani Brown is safe if Koike can find another 0.08 between now and Aug. 24.
At any rate, it's going to be a great 4x100 m team whoever ends up on it, But even that decision got more complicated when Towa Uzawa (JAL) ran a PB 20.11 (+0.9) to win the men's 200 m final. Uzawa already had the 20.16 standard and won Nationals, but a PB makes the case that he belongs on the relay team too.
In the men's long jump Hibiki Tsuha (Otsuka Seiyaku), currently 34th of 36th as the 3rd Japanese man in the Worlds quota, got a small boost to his chances of surviving through the Aug. 24 deadline with an 8.13 m (+1.8) win that should be enough to bump him up a spot ahead of #33-ranked Roko Farkas (Croatia).
Taisei Aibara (OniGO) threw a quality 81.54 m PB to win the men's javelin throw, but the bigger result relative to Tokyo Worlds was the 79.59 m for 2nd by Gen Naganuma (Suzuki). 3rd at Nationals, Naganuma is currently 1 point out of the 36-deep quota at 37th where Nationals 4th-placer Rin Suzuki (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) is 35th 1 point ahead of Naganuma. With a 79.59 for 2nd in the F-ranked Fukui meet Naganuma scored 1105 points, just short of his 5th-best rankings score of 1107 from last year's Fukui when it was an E-ranked meet. As such, he was just a few cm short of edging back into the quota and ahead of Suzuki.
Midori Mikase (Sumitomo Denko) ran a meet record and PB 11.33 (+1.0) for the win in the women's 100 m. That put her at all-time Japanese #4, but she is far enough out of the quota that it's not likely to impact her chances of making the Tokyo team.
© 2025 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments
Yuto Seko's jump completely out of nowhere makes it interesting, that's a measure that can count for something next month...if he can pull it off again.
About the long jump standings: where does Izumiya ranks on those? I feel the bet he took this year of doing both 110mh and long jump backfired...he got injured and got slightly slower on the 110mh. Will he be in Tokyo next month?
The 100meters men situation is very complicated, mostly in a good way.
Personally I feel that Yanagita deserves a spot: he made a stupid mistake in the heat at Nationals but after struggling in 2024, this year he has been super consistent in the low 10s and seems to be getting better and better.
Like I said in the past, I feel Sani Brown should go out there before the 24th and prove what's his current speed. If he rans another 10.30+ he should be out. This, from an outsider perspective, I don't know if in reality since he has the standard he can decide himself to run at the Worlds anyway. "I have the standard, I'm going".
I'd say that Shimizu would need to go out and run another 100 and prove he can run a similar time again.
All this just to say: while the group of athletes that run the 100m at Worlds isn't a critical situation (as good as they are, no one is winning a medal in that event), it is instead super important for the 4x100.
It's important to evaluate Uzawa speed on the 100 not starting from the block vs the pure 100m guys. It's important to evaluate Brown fitness and if Shimizu was a one time fluke or the guy is already ready vs the pro.
If they nail the 4 guys selection the medal and a NR is possible.