Sumire Hata, Athletics – Breaking the Japanese record in the long jump for the first time in 17 years.

Sumire Hata, Athletics – Breaking the Japanese record in the long jump for the first time in 17 years. Aiming for the unknown realm of “over 7 meters,” she challenges her own limits.

Originally written on 08 DEC. 2023

On July 14, 2023, the history of the Japanese track and field world was set in motion. Sumire Hata, competing in the women's long jump at the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand, set a new Japanese record of 6m97cm. This is the first time in 17 years that she has achieved such a feat. Aiming to exceed 7m, which is an unknown field for a Japanese woman, she has a unique background in that she switched to long jump after becoming a working member of society. We interviewed this jumper about her approach to the record and her thoughts on the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

 

Sumire Hata

Born in 1996 in Osaka. Women’s long jump Japanese record holder (6m97cm).
She started athletics in high school, where she competed in short distance and high jump, and then moved to long jump, which is still her main event from working adult. After graduating from Mukogawa Women’s University, she joined Shibata Kogyo Corporation in April 2019. In 2019, she became a leader in the Japanese women’s long jump after her first win at the Japan Athletics Championships; in July 2023, she broke the Japanese record at the Asian Athletics Championships for the first time in 17 years.

 

Her admiration for high jump started with Shun Oguri-san.

 

–What made you start running track and field?

I was always good at running from childhood and was always first in athletic events. When I was in elementary school, I took up swimming as a lesson, and since there was no track and field team at junior high school, I joined the basketball team and thought about continuing in high school. However, I wanted to test myself to see how strong I was, so I started track and field.

 

–You were a sprinter when you started track and field and then switched to high jump. What was it that got you interested in it?

When I was in junior high school, I saw a TV drama in which Shun Oguri-san was a high jumper and he looked so cool that I always had a crush on him.(Note: “Hana Zakari no Kimitachi e – Ikemen♂ Paradise”) I wanted to try it even after I joined the track club, but I was expected to run and it was difficult to tell my advisor. But when I boldly said, “I want to try it,” he readily said, “You should try it,” so I started high jump (laughs).

 

Read more  Move to the website of TOKYO FORWARD 2025 (External link).