Japan set to repeat women's
marathon victory in Seville
K. Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
The Japanese team for the World Championships in Sevilla was announced last week. The team will consist of 19 women and 27 men, lead by the Asian Games’ Champion Naoko Takahashi and Koji Ito. The names of ten marathon runners were announced earlier last March.
Japan’s strongest medal contenders come from the women’s marathon. The team includes Naoko Takahashi, the 1998 Asian marathon Champion (PR 2:21:47), Junko Asari, the 1993 World marathon Champion (PR 2:26:10), Ari Ichihashi who lost to Asari by the slightest of margins at the 1998 Tokyo Ladies Marathon, Kayoko Obata who improved from a mere 2:53 marathon runner in 1994 to 2:26:18 in 1999, and Mayumi Ichikawa who came from behind to capture a second place with 2:27:57 at the Nagoya Ladies marathon. They are all aiming for a medal which may guarantee selection to the Olympic team. Among them, the best marathon runner is Naoko Takahashi whose time in hot and humid Bangkok at the Asian Games was only a minute away from the world best. She was 13th at 5000m in Athens and has a 10,000m PR of 31:48.33. As for Junko Asari, she twice considered quitting: First, when she lost the Asian Games marathon trials in 1994, and second after her dismal performance in the 1996 Olympic marathon, but she has bounced back from these disappointments and is ready to take another shot at the World Championships medal. Ari Ichihashi is one of the runners in the JAAF elite runner program. The programme ensures that runners are looked after by the same coach and Ichihashi, who has not changed coach since high school, has shown steady improvement.
Other events where Japanese women are expected to do well include the 5000m and 10,000m. At the last edition of the World Championships in Athens, Masako Chiba was bronze medallist at 10,000m. Yuko Kawakami, the Asian 10,000m champion who was also 7th at the 1996 Olympic Games in the same event, would appear to have the best chance of emulating that feat this year. Kawakami is so talented that even Masako Chiba at her best has trouble staying with her and, in fact, Kawakami has beaten Chiba on many occasions. Looking for revenge in Seville because she was off-par in Athens when she ran the 5000m, Yuko Kawakami is looking to excel at both 10,000m and marathon in the near future. A final member of the distance team is Yoshiko Fujinaga who was 3rd in the junior division of the World Cross Country Championships and 5th at the 3000m in the World Junior Championships. Only 17 years old, she has improved the 5000m PR twice this season to 15:22.68.
Turning attention to sprint events, Japan will field a 4x100m relay team with Motoka Arai, the national record holder at the 100m/200m (11.45/23.54), Toshie Iwamoto, a former national record holder at the 100m/200m (11.48/23.73), Kaori Sakagami (11.55) who ran wind-assisted 11.39 last weekend, Sakie Nobuoka (11.69) who just set a Collegiate record at the 200m (23.74), and Yvonne Kanazawa. The 4x100m national record has improved to 44.11 this season. Kanazawa, a national record holder at the 100mH (13.08) will also be running her specialty, and Arai will be running the 100m. There will be only two field eventer on the team. Yoko Ota (pronounced with a long 'O') who set a PR of 1.93m when she was only 18, matched and then improved her PR this year to 1.94m. She is finally starting to fulfill her great potential experts saw in her youth. She is joined by Miki Imai who also has a PR of 1.94m from 1998. Ota won the Asian Games in 1998, while Imai was 1st in the Asian Championships (Ota was second). Final member of the women's team is Yuka Mitsumori who with her sister Rie practically own the walking events in Japan.
Next in line for a medal chance is Michiko Shimizu, fourth in the 1996 Olympic Games 5000m, who is finally recapturing her form after few years of sub-par performances. Recently, in the Osaka GP, she ran the second fastest time of her career.
Other runners on the team include Chiemi Takahashi who has run 31:27.57 in a solo effort last year, and Megumi Tanaka who out kicked Kawakami, no mean feat, in the 5000m last May. Harumi Hiroyama who missed the Nagoya marathon because of injury may not be in track racing shape yet, but is well known for her excellent finishing kick. When she won the 10,000m at the 1997 national championships, she ran the last 400m in 62.7 and the last 200m in 30.4 to finish in 31:22.72.
Motoka ARAI
100m, 4 x 100m 11.45 (99NR)
Toshie IWAMOTO 4 x 100m 11.48 (96)
Kaori SAKAGAMI 4 x 100m 11.55 (97)
Sakie NOBUOKA 4 x 100m 11.69 (99)
Harumi HIROYAMA Long Distance 15.03.67 (98NR) 31.22.72(97)
Michiko SHIMIZU Long Distance 15.09.05 (96)
Yoshiko FUJINAGA Long Distance 15.22.68 (99)
Yuko KAWAKAMI Long Distance 31.20.19 (96)
Chiemi TAKAHASHI Long Distance 31.27.57 (98)
Megumi TANAKA Long Distance 15.18.75 (99) 31.53.35(98)
Yvonne KANAZAWA 100mH, 4 x 100m 13.08 (98NR)
Yuka MITSUMORI 20km Walk 1.33.08 (99NBR)
Yoko OTA
High Jump 1.94 (99)
Miki IMAI
High Jump 1.94 (98)
Naoko TAKAHASHI Marathon 2.21.47 (98)
Junko ASARI Marathon 2.26.10 (96)
Ari ICHIHASHI Marathon 2.28.29 (98)
Kayoko OBATA Marathon 2.26.18 (99)
Mayumi ICHIKAWA Marathon 2.27.57 (99)
{Tomoe ABE Marathon 2.26.09 (94) } Alternate
The men’s team is led by Koji Ito, triple (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) Asian Games’ champion. Because of an injury to the former 100m national record holder, Nobuharu Asahra, Japan will not be fielding a 4x100m relay team. So as a consequence, Ito is running 100m, 200m and 4x400m relays. This is not as unusual as it seems, for Ito was a 400m runner in his youth, and ran 46.28 in 1992. He will be joined by Masayoshi Kan (45.33) who was 2nd in the Asian Championships, Kenji Tabata (45.69) who was 3rd in the Asian Championships, and Jun Osakada (45.69) who has yet to lose against any other Japanese sprinter this season (and who is now coached by Susumu Takano - 7th in the 91 World Champs, and 8th in the 92 Olympics). Tetsuya Nakamura, who has made a huge improvement on his best to 10.26 (from 10.35) has also been selected for Seville.
One of the future stars on the team is Kiyoharu Sato who just turned 18. As a 17 year old, he ran 3:38.49 for 1500m in May, nearly five seconds better than last year. Despite his young age, he is not short on championship experience, having finished fourth in both the World Junior Championships and the Asian Games. The distance team is lead by Toshinari Takaoka, national record holder for 5000m (13:13.40), who won the 5000m/10,000m double at the 1994 Asian games. In the 10,000m he is joined by Kenji Takao, who was second to Daniel Komen at the 10,000m at the 1994 World Junior championships. He won the Asian Games’ 10,000m last December.. In the 400m hurdles, Kazuhiko Yamazaki, who was 7th at the World Championships in 1995, is finally returning to top form and recently set a national record of 48.26 in the Osaka GP. He is joined by Shunji Karube, former national record holder (48.34), who was also third at the 1997 World Indoor Championships at 400m. The fiinal member of the 400m hurdles team is Hideaki Kawamura, the 1998 Asian Games champion.
The strong marathon squad consists of Manai Akira who was second to Lee Bong-Ju at the Asian Games, the 22 year old Atsushi Fujita, a Collegiate half-marathon champion, Koji Shimizu (2:09:00) who is looking for redemption after his dismal 58th placing in Athens, Nobuyuki Sato (2:08:48) and another 22 year old Tadayuki Ojima who has improved in each of his three marathons (2:15:35, 2:12:43, 2:09:10). Atsushi Fujita, the best university runner who set the collegiate marathon record of 2:10:07 on his debut, is also one of the most popular runners in Japan.
Four jumpers are on the team. National champion Fumiaki Kobayashi, who set a national pole vault record (5.62m) recently, was 3rd in the 1998 Asian games. Two 8m long jumpers will also be participating: Morinaga, who is the national record holder (8.25m) and won both the Asian Games and the Asian Championships last year. He was 9th in the 1997 edition of the World Championships. Shigeru Tagawa is a new member of the 8m club having jumped 8.15 in mid-June, which moved him up to second place in the all-time Japanese list.
Men (27 members)
Koji ITO
100m, 200m, 4 x 400m 10.00 (98AR) 20.16 (98AR)
Tetsuya NAKAMURA 100m 10.26 (99)
Masayoshi KAN 400m, 4 x 400m 45.33 (98)
Kenji TABATA 400m, 4 x 400m 45.69 (98)
Jun OSAKADA 400m, 4 x 400m 45.69 (99)
Kiyoharu SATO 1500m 3.38.49 (99)
Toshinari TAKAOKA 5000m, 10000m 13.13.40 (99NR) 27.49.89 (96)
Kenji TAKAO 10000m 27.56.05 (95)
Satoshi IRIFUNE 10000m 28.02.99 (99)
Satoshi TANIKAWA 110mH 13.61 (99)
Ken-ichi SAKURAI 110mH 13.67 (99)
Kazuhiko YAMAZAKI 400mH 48.26 NR)
Shunji KARUBE 400mH 48.34 (97)
Hideaki KAWAMURA 400mH 48.91 (98)
Akira MANAI Marathon 2.09.23 (97)
Nobuyuki SATO Marathon 2.08.48 (98)
Tadayuki OJIMA Marathon 2.09.10 (98)
Koji SHIMIZU Marathon 2.09.00 (99)
Atsushi FUJITA Marathon 2.10.07 (99)
Daisuke IKEJIMA 20km Walk 1.19.50 (98NBR)
Fumio IMAMURA 50km Walk 3.49.38 (98NBR)
Akihiko KOIKE 50km Walk 3.55.31(98)
Takahiro KIMINO High Jump 2.32 (93NR)
Fuminaki KOBAYASHI Pole Vault 5.62 (99NR)
Masaki MORINAGA Long Jump 8.25 (92NR)
Shigeru TAGAWA Long Jump 8.15 (99)
Koji MUROFUSHI Hammer Throw 78.57 (98NR)
