Japanese Athletes in Action on Tokyo World Championships Day 3

Day 3 of the Tokyo World Athletics Championships kicks off with what will probably be the most-viewed event on domestic TV. A quick look at Japanese athletes competing throughout the day:

7:30 - Men's Marathon

Yuya Yoshida (GMO) - 2:05:16 - 1st, Fukuoka Int'l 2024

Ryota Kondo (Mitsubishi Juko) - 2:05:39 - 2nd, Osaka 2025

Naoki Koyama (Honda) - 2:06:33 - 3rd, Osaka 2024

Prognosis: If we had to pick one Japanese athlete we'd most like to see win a medal it's Yoshida, someone who's risen from benchwarmer in college to Fukuoka CR holder. He's been almost invisible this year so it's hard to know where he's at, but if his second half is anything like it was in Fukuoka then he's a contender. Kondo is a wildcard, with a 2:05:39 debut and narrow miss on the win in Osaka this year, but in snow and cold far removed from what Tokyo will be like Monday. Koyama seemed almost no-miss up through his PB in Osaka last year but has struggled since then and controversially made the team here based on points in the domestic marathon series over multiple people who have run a lot better more recently.

9:00 / 10:45 - Men's Hammer Throw Qualification

Shota Fukuda (Sumitomo Denko) - 74.57 m - 1st, Nationals

Prognosis: National champ Fukuda is in good shape this season, but even that only ranks him 3rd from the bottom of the field. He's not likely to go on to the final.

9:05 - Women's Pole Vault Qualification

Misaki Morota (At Home) - 4.40 m - DNS, Nationals

Prognosis: Morota has been out of competition for the last few months and didn't compete at Nationals in July, so it was a surprise to see her added to the team on a host country ticket. No indication of what kind of shape she's in, but it's not likely to be near peak form.

10:30 - Women's 3000 m Steeplechase Heats

Miu Saito (Panasonic) - 9:38.16 - 2nd, Nationals

Prognosis: Saito has been having a great season but only made the team off a host country spot. With any luck she'll get pulled along to a PB in the heats, but even that probably won't get her to the final.

19:35 - Men's 400 m Hurdles Heats

Shunta Inoue (Fujitsu) - 48.46 - 3rd, Nationals

Ken Toyoda (Toyota) - 48.55 - 7th, Heat 1, Nationals

Daiki Ogawa (Toyo Univ.) - 48.61 - 1st, Nationals

Prognosis: One of Japan's better events. Moving on to the semi-finals would be a good achievement for any of the 3 men on the squad. Toyoda is the biggest question mark after injury issues earlier in the season that saw him eliminated in the heats at Nationals.

19:40 - Men's Long Jump Qualification

Hibiki Tsuha (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8.15 m (+1.0) - 5th, Nationals

Riku Ito (Suzuki) - 8.11 m (+0.1) - 2nd, Nationals

Yuki Hashioka (Fujitsu) - 8.10 m (+1.7) - 4th, Nationals

Prognosis: Another good squad, but neither Tsuha nor Hashioka have been close to their best this season. All three are in the bottom half of the field and will need a good day to make the final.

20:23 - Men's 110 m Hurdles Heats

Rachid Muratake (JAL) - 12.92 (+0.6) - DNS, Nationals

Shunsuke Izumiya (Sumitomo Denko) - 13.19 (+0.3) - 1st, Nationals

Shusei Nomoto (Ehime T&F Assoc.) - 13.21 (+0.6) - 2nd, Nationals

Prognosis: Muratake is a medal contender. Izumiya and Nomoto might join him in the semis, but he's probably going to be the only one in the final.

(21:06 - Women's 100 m Hurdles Semi-Final)

Prognosis: Two of the three Japanese women in the heats, Hitomi Nakajima and Mako Fukube, have a reasonable chance of advancing past the heats to the semis.

(21:30 - Men's 1500 m Semi-Final)

Prognosis: Asian champ Iizawa has a 3:36 season best and will have a hard time making here past the first round.

(21:55 - Men's 3000 m Steeplechase Final)

Prognosis: Miura should be in it for a medal back on the track where he had his big international breakthrough in the heats at the Tokyo Olympics.

(22:20 - Women's 100 m Hurdles Final)

Prognosis: It'd be a surprise to see either Nakajima or Fukube go this far. A pleasant surprise, though.

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

Rui Aoki Wins National University Men's Half Marathon - Weekend Results

Yuka Ando 's win at the Nagoya Women's Marathon was the big news of the weekend, but there were other high-level races happening, even in Nagoya. Held in parallel with the marathon, the Nagoya City Half Marathon saw Australians Natalie Rule and Ed Goddard take easy wins by about 2.5 minutes each, Rule in 1:13:57 and Goddard in 1:04:01. The new Biwako Marathon also had a non-Japanese winner, China's Yousheng Guan scoring 1st in 2:14:58 with Japan's Hirohito Sugai next in 2:16:40. Mikiko Ota won the women's race in 2:50:44. The Shizuoka Marathon returned for its first running in five years, with club runner Shumpei Oda leading the top 7 men under 2:20 in 2:15:36. Women's winner Remi Tanaka ran 2:41:23, beating runner-up Ayumi Sano by exactly 7 minutes. And in Tokyo, Rui Aoki continued what has been a great season so far for Koku Gakuin University with a win at the National University Men's Half Marathon . Aoki and Hiro Konda of Chuo Gakuin Unive...

Tomita Breaks Gold Coast Half CR

After a great season so far that has included a win on the New Year Ekiden First Stage in January and a 1:00:58 PB at the National Corporate Half in February, Shumpei Tomita (Logisteed) added another one with a 1:00:52 CR for the win at the China Airlines Gold Coast Half Marathon . Pacer James Hansen and 2-time winner Brett Robinson went out fast, with Australian 10 km NR holder Sam Clifford and Chuo University student Daichi Fujita closing it up to make a lead quartet that hit 5 km in 14:12. Clifford soon dropped off, and when Hansen stepped off at 10 km in 28:44 it was down to just Robinson and Fujita. Fujita, who came into the race with only a 1:03:57 best, couldn't hang with the more experienced Robinson and faded, although to his credit he hung on for a new PB of 1:02:55 in 12th. Robinson looked like he had a 3rd title down, but by 15 km, hit in 43:33, he'd been run down by the front end of the chase pack, Tomita, veteran Kazuto Kawabata and debuting Australian Ed ...

japan running news

Search This Blog