Toshikazu Yamanishi, Athletics – From Ordinary Junior High School Student to World’s Top Racewalker.

Toshikazu Yamanishi, Athletics – From Ordinary Junior High School Student to World’s Top Racewalker. Searching for Answers in His Own Way, He Keeps Walking Today.

Originally written on 30 OCT. 2023

Toshikazu Yamanishi first encountered race walking when he was in high school and quickly rose to prominence. He dreamed of winning a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which was to be held in his home country, and he pursued his dream and won a bronze medal in the event. In the World Championships in Athletics, he won gold medals in Doha 2019 and in Oregon 22. Now that he has become one of the world's top-level racewalkers, we asked him about his thoughts on the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

 

Toshikazu Yamanishi

Born in Kyoto in 1996. After graduating from Kyoto University, he joined Aichi Steel Corporation. He started race walking in high school and has achieved brilliant achievements such as winning the Inter High School Athletic Meeting and the Universiade Championships. He was becoming one of the world’s leading athletes of his generation. After entering the workforce, he competed in his first event, the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, where he won the gold medal in the 20km race walk. At the following World Athletics Championships Oregon 22, he won his second consecutive gold medal. He also won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

 

There are Opportunities in Race walking for Ordinary Athletes Like Me.

 

–Yamanishi-san, why did you take up track and field?

When I became a junior high school student, I decided to try some sports that I could do, and the one I could say I was good at was track and field. I enjoyed running and took practice reasonably seriously, but I never thought that I would become famous in track and field. I finished my three years in junior high school as an ordinary athlete, losing without even participating in the Kyoto prefectural championships. I continued to join the track and field club in high school.

 

–You first encountered race walking in high school. How did you encounter it?

When I was a junior high school student, there were no regional competitions for race walking leading to national championships in junior high school, and I think there were very few club activities at school. Most race walkers have encountered the sport during their high school years, when there were regional competitions leading to the national championships. I am one of them.

I started race walking for two reasons: I met people related to race walking, including a friend who was a race walker and an advisor who passionately coached. And there were not so many competitors in the event for race walking, so I had an ulterior motive that even an ordinary track and field athlete like me might have a chance. When I tried to imitate the movements of a race walker, it didn’t seem as bad as I thought, so I gave it a try.

 

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