News03 Aug 2003


Japanese Paris prospects

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Koji Murofushi in action at Grand Prix Final (© Getty Images Allsport)

Japan is sending a 28 men and 21 women team to the 2003 World Championships in Paris. Two years ago in Edmonton, Japanese athletes won three medals: Koji Murofushi and Reiko Tosa each won a silver medal, while Dai Tamesue won a bronze medal.

Murofushi – outstanding favourite 

Koji Murofushi is the favourite in the men’s Hammer Throw, having recorded 84.86m, the longest throw in 15 years, in Prague. Since Edmonton, Murofushi has won two more national championships making him the nine-time national champion.  Last year, despite missing much of his winter training due to an injury to his little finger, Murofushi still won the Asian Games and Grand Prix Final; he also finished second in the World Cup. 

Having completed a much better spell of winter training in the winter of 2002-2003, Murofushi has transformed himself into another level this year.  In his six competitions this season, Murofushi has recorded 82.36m, 82.95m, 82.67m, 83.29m, 84.86m and 82.57m. He is very consistent also. Of the 32 legal throws he recorded this season 30 throws were longer than 80m. 

Suetsugu and Tamesue – flat sprint and hurdles challenge

Another athlete who has transformed himself since Edmonton is Shingo Suetsugu, who was a semi-finalist in Edmonton.  The first double national champion at the 100m and 200m in 24 years, Suetsugu also won the 200m in the 2002 Asian Games.  Having recorded new personal records of 10.03 for 100m and 20.03 for 200m earlier this season, Suetsugu perhaps will be the first Asian to crack 10 seconds and 20 seconds barriers at the 100m and 200m respectively.  But he realizes that records are not the main focus in the championships, but medals are. “I would like to run a memorable race,” said Suetsugu, whose goal is to medal at the 200m, his main event. 

Dai Tamesue, a 2001 World championships bronze medallist at 400m Hurdles, has been struggling since Edmonton.  Last year, he only finished third in the Asian Games.  For Tamesue, who holds records and has won championships at every level (national, collegiate, junior, high school and junior high school), his successes have been interspersed with frustrations. After winning sprint double in the 1993 national junior high school championships, he struggled with injury problems for the next two years.

In 1996, he finished fourth in the 400m at the World Junior Championships and set national junior records at the 400m and 400mH.  It was followed by two more down years, and he also fell in the 2000 Olympics.  But in 2001, not only did Tamesue win the bronze medal, he also set two national records at Edmonton.  “I need to hit a home-run in Paris.”

Another athlete, who might rise to the occasion is Daichi Sawano, a three-time national champion and the national record holder (5.75m) in the PV.  Like Tamesue, Sawano also holds the records (collegiate (5.52m), junior (5.50m) and high school record (5.40m)) and titles at every level.  Sawano, a precocious talent, is on a roll this year, having improved his personal best from 5.52m to 5.75m

Turning to the women’s track events, the best among them is Kayoko Fukushi, a national record holder at the 3000m and 5000m.  Fukushi, who was fourth at 5000m in the 2000 World Junior Championships, also owns the second fastest 10,000m time.  Fell and injured during the ekiden race last December, Fukushi, a double Asian Games’ silver medalist, is slowly rounding into shape.  She won the 10,000m at national championships and ran 15:09 at the 5000m in Roma Golden League. 

Yoko Shibui will join Fukushi at the 10,000m.  Shibui, a 2:21 marathon runner, was injured this spring and missed qualifying for the marathon team. However, Shibui was selected for the 10,000m, an event in which she holds a national record.  She is training at high-altitude of Kunming, China in her attempt to gain fitness in time for Paris.

Marathon - women

In each of the global championships since the 1991 World Championships except for the 1995 Worlds, Japanese woman has won at least one medal in the marathon.  Because the first Japanese home in the race with a medal is guaranteed a spot in the Olympic marathon team, much is at stake in Paris.

Mizuki Noguchi, who is undefeated in the marathon, is the best Japanese. Noguchi finished second once and fourth twice in the World Half Marathon championships. After finishing 13th at the 10000m in Edmonton, she moved up to the marathon, and won her marathon debut in the 2002 Nagoya Women’s marathon with 2:25:35.  Noguchi, who is coached by renowned distance coach Nobuyuki Fujita, was disappointed at not breaking the debut record.  In her second marathon, the 2003 Osaka Ladies marathon, she ran 2:21:18 to become the second fastest Japanese. 

Masako Chiba hopes to win another World Championship medal.  The bronze medallist at the 10,000m in the 1997 World Championships, Chiba had finished fifth at the same distance in Atlanta in 1996. One-time national junior as well as senior record holder at the 10,000m, Chiba was plagued with injury problems when she attempted to move up to the marathon.  After struggling with the marathon for four years, Chiba who is now coached by Yoshio Koide (coach of Naoko Takahashi) made a spectacular breakthrough in 2003 when she recorded 2:21:45 in Osaka. 

The third member of the team is Naoko Sakamoto, who made a spectacular marathon debut at the 2003 Osaka Ladies Marathon.  In the process she recorded 2:21:51, the second fastest marathon debut time in history.  A mediocre runner in high school, Sakamoto made a breakthrough when she moved up in distance.  She recorded 1:09:27 in her half marathon debut in 2001. She is coming back from a recent injury. 

Having run in Edmonton, Rie Matsuoka and Takami Ominami are running their second World Championships marathon.  Two years ago, Matsuoka, who was sixth at the 5000m in the 1996 World Junior Championships, was a last minute entry and finished only 22nd in Edmonton.  In 2002, Matsuoka was second in both the Paris marathon and Tokyo Ladies marathons. Her personal best of 2:24:33 was set on the course in Paris.  She is also returning from a recent injury. 

Having made her marathon debut in 1999, Takami Ominami has since won the 2002 Rotterdam marathon and 2003 Nagoya marathon, the former in a personal best time of 2:23:43.  She competed in the 1997 World Cross Country championships and finished sixth at the 10000m in the 1998 Asian Championships.  She is hoping to improve her 37th place finish in Edmonton.

Marathon - men

Turning to the men’s side, Masakazu Fujiwara, who won the half marathon in the 2001 World University Games, is generally considered to have a best chance for a medal.  Fujiwara finished third with 2:08:12 in the 2003 Lake Biwa marathon.  In the process he recorded a national marathon debut record as well as a collegiate marathon record.  Fujiwara, who was 14th in the junior division of the 2000 World Cross Country Championships, has recorded an Asian junior record of 28:17.38 at the 10,000m in 2001. 

Atsushi Sato, who is well known for his dedication to the marathon, is a former collegiate marathon record holder.  Sato recorded 2:09:50 in the 2000 Lake Biwa marathon. One of the most promising marathon runners of his generation, Sato improved his marathon best to 2:08:50 at the 2003 Lake Biwa marathon.  He was eighth at the 2002 World Half Marathon championships and sixth at 10,000m in the 2002 Asian Games.  He was third in the recent Sapporo Half Marathon, showing that he is ready for Paris. 

At 33, the oldest Japanese runner ever to crack a 2:09 barrier, Shimizu recorded 2:08:28 in the 2003 Lake Biwa marathon.  In 1997 he came from nowhere to win the Tokyo marathon in 2:09:00 and selected for the 1997 World Championships.  He also ran in the 1999 Worlds and finished seventh.

Unlike most of Japanese elite runners who run for corporate track team, much is at stake for Shimizu; his year-to-year sponsorship contract with his employer depends on his performance.  Shimizu, who is married to one time international 10,000m runner Midori Fumoto, won a silver medal in the 2002 Asian Games. 

Shigeru Aburaya is returning to the World Championships marathon for the second time, having finished fifth in Edmonton.  Within a span of six months in 2001, Aburaya established himself as one of the premier marathon runners in Japan. He recorded 2:07:52 marathon and later finished fifth in Edmonton. In his breakthrough year of 1998, he recorded 1:02:05 for the half marathon.  After finishing 23rd in the World Half marathon, he made his marathon debut in 2000, recording 2:10:48.  He was second in the 2003 Tokyo marathon in 2:09:30. 

The final member of the team is Tsuyoshi Ogata, who finished close second to the Olympic and World Champion Gezehegne Abera with 2:09:15 in the 2002 Fukuoka marathon. He was 30th in the 1999 World Half marathon championships and fourth in the 2001 Berlin marathon.  He finished just behind Atsushi Sato in the recent Sapporo half marathon.

Full team list – click here

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