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 Hakone Ekiden and National University Ekiden. He was 5th in the 5000 m at the 2025 National Championships. "I'm really grateful to have the chance to continue my career in such a great environment," he said. "I'll dedicate myself every day to getting better so that I can contribute to the company through my results."
Also on Oct. 1, the Toyota men's corporate team announced that Takuma Yamakawa has joined its long-distance lineup. A native of Nagano, Yamakawa started competing at the national level his 2nd year at Minowa J.H.S., placing 7th in the 3000 m at the National Junior High School Championships his 3rd year. At Kamiina Nogyo H.S. he made the National High School Championships in both the 1500 m and 5000 m.
In 2022 he enrolled at Komazawa University, winning the Fourth Stage at the National University Ekiden in his debut as a 1st-year and going on to take 4th on the Hakone Ekiden's famous uphill Fifth Stage and helping Komazawa win the Day One and overall Hakone titles. He performed well in the following years, placing 2nd in the Kanto Regionals half marathon and setting a PB of 1:01:25 at the 2025 Hakodate Half Marathon. He anchored Komazawa his 2nd through 4th years at the National University Ekiden, winning the anchor stage twice and breaking the tape for Komazawa's wins in 2023 and 2025.
After graduating this past spring he competed under his local Kamiina T&F Association without a corporate contract until Toyota's announcement this week. On the team's social media accounts Yamakawa said, "I'm not at the level I want to be yet, but I'm determined to work hard to make a contribution to the team and pay back everyone who has supported me. I hope you'll keep cheering me on."
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translated and edited by Brett Larner
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