Motofumi Suwa (3) in marathon action at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi (© JAAF / organisers)
Japan’s Motofumi Suwa achieved the best race of his career at the Asian Race Walking Championships – a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Bronze meeting – in Nomi, Japan, on Sunday (15).
The surprise winner’s 2:58:21 marathon race walk performance was an improvement of more than six minutes on his previous PB from October.
It also placed him more than a minute clear of his compatriot Hiroto Jusho who also comfortably dipped under three hours, securing second place in 2:59:31.
In the women’s race, Yukiko Umeno followed up her half marathon win in Kobe last month with another comfortable victory, this time over double the distance in 3:33:47.
Suwa does boast a 1:18:42 20km race walk PB but he was a modest 13th in 1:23:29 in Kobe for the half marathon. In fact, the 26-year-old's only other major win is a national 10km victory from April 2019.
However, Sunday was his day and when he upped the gears at 35km, it was game over.
Rain and a low 3°C temperature greeted athletes at the start, with many wearing thin plastic rain macs. Most were also wearing sunglasses, despite the leaden skies.
A group of four including the eventual top two plus Kazuki Takahashi and Yutaro Murayama quickly established a lead, but Murayama soon dropped off the pace.
The remaining trio reached 10km in 43:39 to show intent with a pace now close to 4:22 for each 1km lap.
Another 5km on and a watery sun gave way to the real thing.
The heat was on for the leading trio in both senses, but they kept up their relentless pace until 28km when Jusho forged a small gap – a gap that quickly grew. It was 2:08:30 at 30km for him and he had 13 seconds over the chasing pair
However, Suwa also accelerated and quickly went after him, but Takahashi was left in the pair’s wake.
Suwa slowly reeled in the leader, and both were together again at 35km before the winner found an extra gear to push ahead. The new leader’s stride was quicker – and getting faster.
Jusho was now sucking in air, his bobbing head betraying the strain. But Suwa was moving at a ferocious pace: his legs a blur compared to the lapped race walkers he constantly passed on his way to the finish line for a landmark victory.
Third place went to Takahashi in 3:02:45 and fourth to an exhausted Murayama in 3:03:21.
Korean guest Hyunmyeong Joo kept up a steady pace of around 22:00 for every 5km and was rewarded with fifth place in 3:05:05. His compatriot Dongmin Im was a little further back for sixth in 3:05:50.
In the women’s race, Umeno – who was wearing a snood, arm warmers, gloves, sunglasses and mac – was away on her own from the start with Maika Yagi already 50 metres adrift and the veteran Masumi Fuchise even further back in third.
Yagi then quickened her pace and drew level with Umeno but was content to track the leader.
The smoother Umeno simply upped the pace again to forge a second lead before 20km, reached in 1:42:01, and that was that as far as the contest was concerned.
At the finish, Umeno had jettisoned all but her gloves and capacious snood with just enough room for a first place medal around her neck.
A tired Yagi clocked 3:36:06 for second and a fast-finishing Fuchise was just 30 seconds behind for third.
Yuki Yoshizumi was a distant fourth in 3:43:31.
In the Asian Half Marathon Championships held in conjunction, Japan's Tomohiro Noda strolled to a 1:21:58 win. Behind him came China’s Huang Peiyang in 1:24:56, with the podium completed by Uzbekistan's Rasulbek Dilmurodov in 1:25:31.
The women’s race was won by China’s Zhang Ting in 1:36:18 from Kazakhstan's Yasmina Toxanbayeva (1:37:17) and Korea’s Lee Seha (1:40:17).
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
