Suetsugu is selected as Japanese 2003 Athlete of the Year

A panel of 45 experts on Japanese track & field have selected Shingo Suetsugu, the 2003 World Championships 200m bronze medallist as the 2003 Japanese Athlete of the Year.

Suetsugu received 41 number one votes, while Mizuki Noguchi, Paris silver medallist at the women’s Marathon, received three number one votes, while Shigeru Aburaya, the best Japanese runner in the men’s marathon in Paris, received the remaining top vote. 

Previously, Suetsugu has twice finished in the top ten in the Athlete of the Year voting - sixth in 2000 when he made the semi-final of the Olympic 200m, and fifth in 2002 when he won the Asian Games 200m.

In the interview with the Track & Field Magazine of Japan (Rikujyo Kyougi Magazine) who have been organizing the Athlete of the Year awards for the last 18 years, Suetsugu said, “I am very happy to win the award.  Ever since my junior high school days when I started to read the Rikujyo Kyougi Magazine, every spring I was impressed with the athletes who won this award.  However, I could not imagine myself winning this award then.” 

Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Here is the list of the top ten athletes of the year and their major accomplishments for the year 2003. 

Shingo Suetsugu:   
The first Japanese to reach a final or win a global championships (Worlds or Olympics) medal in the 200m sprint event, also won both the 100m and 200m in the national championships (the first such double for 24yrs), the latter with the national record time of 20.03. Suetsugu also recorded the third fastest 100m time in history by Japanese, 10.03, in the Mito International meet in May.  
 
Mizuki Noguchi:
A marathon silver medalist in the World Championships in Paris, Mizuki Noguchi also recorded the second fastest time by Japanese woman, 2:21:18, at the 2003 Osaka Ladies Marathon.  At the time, it was also the eighth fastest time in history.  When Noguchi crossed the finish line in Paris, as the top Japanese with a medal in the World Championships, she was automatically selected for the Olympic marathon team. 

Koji Murofushi:
A bronze medalist at the Hammer throw in the World Championships in Paris, Koji Murofushi also become the third longest hammer thrower in the history of the event with his throw of 84.86m in Praha in June.  Only legendary Yuriy Sedykh and Sergey Litovinov have thrown the hammer further than Murofushi in history.  It was also the furthest throw in the last 15 years. With his bronze medal in Paris and silver medal in Edmonton 2001, Murofushi also became the first consecutive medallist at the event since the 1993 and 1995 editions of the Worlds when Abduvaliyev, Astapkovich and Gecsek won consecutive medals.

Masako Chiba:
A bronze medalist at 10,000m six years ago in the World Championships in Athens, Masako Chiba won another bronze medal at the World Championships in Paris in 2003, this time at the marathon.  She was the first runner in the history of the World Championships to win a medal at both the 10,000m and the marathon.  Earlier in the year at the 2003 Osaka Ladies Marathon, Chiba recorded 2:21:45 to become the fourth fastest Japanese woman marathon runner in history when she finished second to Mizuki Noguchi.  

Yoshitaka Iwamizu: 
Yoshitaka Iwamizu is trying to put the 3000m Steeplechase on the map in Japan.  After recording a national record of 8:18.93 in the heats of the World Championships in Paris, Iwamizu finished 11th in the final with another sub 8:20 clocking, 8:19.29, also under the previous national record.  It was the first time since the 1972 Olympic Games that a Japanese made the final of the discipline at global level.  It was also the first national record at 3000m SC in 23 years. 

Naoko Sakamoto:
With an outstanding debut at the 2003 Osaka Ladies Marathon, where Sakamoto recorded the second fastest (second only to Paula Radcliffe) debut time, 2:21:51, she made the World Championships team and later finished fourth in Paris.

Shigeru Aburaya: 
Shigeru Aburaya proved to be one of the most consistent marathon runners in Japan.  He does not run many marathons, but when he does, you can count on a good marathon from him.  Aburaya who was fifth at the marathon in the 2003 World Championships in Paris, was also fifth in Edmonton in 2001.  In his other marathon of the year, Aburaya finished second at the 2003 Tokyo Marathon to clinch the World Championships marathon team berth. 

Daichi Sawano:
A high school, national junior and collegiate record holder at Pole Vault, Daichi Sawano added a national record of 5.75m to his record collection at the national championships.  It was his third personal best of the year, having recorded 5.56m in March of 2003 and further improving it to 5.60m two months later.  In Paris at the World Championships, Sawano made a final, the first ever by a Japanese vaulter in the event at the World Championships. 

Chinatsu Mori: 
First Japanese woman Shot putter to compete in a global championships since the 1964 Olympic Games, Chinatsu Mori also recorded three national records (one tie) culminating at 17.80m at the Asian Championships in September.  This winter Mori set a national indoor record of 17.46m in February.  The first Japanese woman to crack 17m barrier as well as World Championships “B” standard, Mori is approaching 18m barrier as well as the Olympic Games “A” standard, 18.55m. 

Makiko Yoshida: 
Double national champion at both the 400m and the 400m Hurdles for the second consecutive year, Makiko Yoshida also competed in the World Championships in Paris at 400m Hurdles, her main event. She twice improved her own national Hurdles record first in the Osaka GP to 56.13 and then in the national championships to 55.89.  She also moved up to second on the Japanese women’s 400m all-time list with 53.20 clocking.