Japanese team for IAAF World Youth Championships

A team of twenty boys and twelve girls will represent Japan at the third edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships. In the last two editions of the Championships, Japanese athletes have won one silver (men’s 4x100m Relay) and four bronze medals (men’s medley relay, 10,000m walk, 400m Hurdles and Pole Vault).

Although Japan never medalled at 3000m, because of the presence of strong Kenyan and Ethiopian teams (Bekele ran in the first edition of the World Youth Championships), things may well be different this year.

Japan’s 3000m runners Satoru Kitamura and Yuki Sato are not afraid to race against the Kenyans. Last October at the National Games, Kitamura courageously challenged two Kenyan student runners - James Mwangi and Josephat Ndabiri - who attend high school in Japan. Although out kicked in the final lap, Kitamura recorded a huge personal best of 13:45.86.

It was not the first time Kitamura challenged the Kenyans, however. In October of 2001 at 3000m, Kitamura who was a high school freshman at the time, challenged Kenyan and finished close second with 8:21.66.

He is quite versatile, for he also ran 28:55.49 for the 10,000m in April. Kitamura’s most recent race was the national junior championships where he won the 5000m against older competitions.

Yuki Sato is another very promising Japanese athlete. Last year, Sato, a national junior high school record holder at 3000m (8:24.24), set a personal best of 8:19.19 when challenging Kenyans all the way. Sato also holds high school freshman record at 5000m (14:06.99). 
 
In the first two editions of the IAAF World Youth Championships, Japanese girls have not won any medal. The rising star of the women’s distance running, Yuko Nohara may change that.

Nohara who started running in fourth grade was coached by her father until two years ago. Last year, after joining a track team in her junior high school (the school did not have a track team until then), in her first serious year of competition, she was sixth and fourth respectively at 1500m and 3000m at the national junior high school championships.

Nohara is on a roll this year, having won the 3000m at the high school prefecture championships (9:15.90), and the district championships (9:12.75). Since she improved her personal best by more than 20 seconds this year, she adjusted the year’s goal from 9:12 to a sub-9:10 performance, which might happen in Canada.

Last weekend, Nohara won the national junior championships at 5000m with 15:59.11. It was the second 5000m of her career, having made a debut at the distance in May (16:08.61). Nohara also has speed. In Fukuoka prefecture championships she also won 800m in 2:14.68. Her team mate at 3000m is Saori Makishima who won 1500m, 3000m double at the high school prefecture championships. She was second to Nohara at national junior with 16:03.00. 

Several members of the World Youth Championships team competed in the national junior championships last weekend (June 28, 29). Beside Kitamura and Nohara who won the national junior championships, several other athletes also placed quite high against older competitions.

Kenji Fujimitsu, who improved his personal best to 21.58 and then promptly to 21.40 in May, finished second at 200m in 21.54. Ayumi Takada, who has recorded 2:10.85 when she was a junior high school student last year, finished third at 800m in 2:10.83. Go Tanabe, who started to run 14 steps between the hurdles this spring, finished second at 400m Hurdles with a new personal best of 51.33. 

Other top finishers at the national junior championships who will be competing at the World Youth Championships are: Ryota Komano who finished fourth at 3000m Steeplechase in 9:17.07, Azusa Ichiki who finished third at 100m Hurdles in 13.82., and Ayano Kawano and Azusa Watanabe who finished second (24.70) and third (24.97) respectively at 200m. 

In the last edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships, Akira Kano finished fourth in the Octathlon and improved his score by over 400 points. In May of this year, Daisuke Ikeda who holds a high school freshman record at Octathlon (5369) improved his score to 5623 points. He may be on the verge of breakthrough. Ikeda told Track & Field Magazine of Japan “I can go sub 15 at 110m Hurdles and throw the Javelin over 60m.” 

The World Youth team for the walk was selected through the race on May 4. In the women’s 5000m, Noriko Nishide who won the junior 5Km race in the All Japan Walk on April 20 with 23:56, was unbeatable. Walking alone from 2000m, Nishide won easily with 23:38.80 and was thus selected on the team. On the men’s side Shoichi Tanoue and Makoto Sawada, who covered the last 1000m of 10000mWalk in 4:06 and 4:12 respectively to finish in 44:11.11 and 44:17.53, were selected. In the first two editions of the World Youth Championships, Japanese walkers have finished third and fourth. Last year at the World Junior Championships, Fumi Mitsumura won the women’s walk. Thus making the walks the hottest event for the Japanese young stars. 

Japanese Team

Boys
Name   Event  Personal Best  Date of Birth  
Shinya Saburi  100m, Relay 10.51   June 3, 1986
Kenji Fujimitsu  200m, Relay 21.40   May 1, 1986
Yu Sugawara  200m, Relay 21.64   October 8, 1986
Kota Itokawa  800m  1:52.54   May 15, 1986
Takeshi Kuchino  800m  1:52.29   Apr 7, 1986
Yuki Sato  3000m  14:06.72 (at 5000m) Nov 26, 1986
Satoru Kitamura  3000m  13:45.86 (at 5000m) Feb 4, 1986
Shoichi Tanoue  10000mW 44:11.11   July 28, 1986
Makoto Sawada  10000mW 44:17.53   Feb 20, 1987
Go Tanabe  400mH, Relay 51.33    Mar 21, 1986
Yuki Iwataki  400mH, Relay 52.91   Nov 29, 1986
Ryota Komano  2000mSC 9:06.22 (at 3000mSC) Feb 18, 1986
Masato Ishibiki  HJ  2.11m   Nov 15, 1986
Hikaru Tsuchiya  HJ  2.12m   Feb 1, 1986
Akira Wakuda  PV  4.80m   Jan 8, 1987
Takeshi Funamoto PV  4.81m   May 10, 1986
Kazuya Urakami  LJ  7.40m   July 24, 1986
Naohiro Shinada  LJ, Relay 7.87m   Feb 10, 1986
Takahiro Maru  TJ  15.24m    Aug 18, 1986
Daisuke Ikeda  Octathlon 5623   Apr 15, 1986

Girls
Kanae Narita  100m, Relay 12.13   May 9, 1987
Ayako Kawano  200m, Relay 24.62   July 20, 1986
Azusa Watanabe  200m, Relay 24.66   Dec 15, 1986
Junko Kitajima  400m, Relay 55.87   Sept 7, 1986
Ayumi Takada  800m  2:10.34   Sept 4, 1987
Keiko Shinada  800m, Relay 2:11.56   Mar 12, 1988
Maya Iino  1500m  4:25.42   Feb 5, 1988
Yuko Nohara  3000m  9:12.75   Jan 23, 1988
Saori Makishima  3000m  9:12.36   Jan 28, 1986
Noriko Nishide  5000mW  23:38.80   May 12, 1986
Azusa Ichiki  100mH, Relay 14.19   May 2, 1986
Kotoe Tanaka  LJ  6.01m   Dec 23, 1986

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF