Japan’s Dominance in World Athletics Race Walking Championships
Japan unveils a star-studded 20-strong team for the World Athletics Race Walking Championships, headlined by top global performers Koki Ikeda and Masatora Kawano. The team includes seasoned athletes and rising stars set to compete in various categories, promising an exciting and competitive event.
Japan Announces 20-Strong Team for World Athletics Race Walking Championships
On April 24, 2023, Japan will field a 20-strong team at the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, featuring global medallists Koki Ikeda and Masatora Kawano.
The team includes Ikeda and Kawano, who have been selected for the marathon race walk mixed relay, a new event that involves teams of one male and one female athlete completing the marathon distance in four equal legs.
Japan’s men’s 20km event will be represented by Ryo Hamanishi, Yuta Koga, 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships bronze medallist Satoshi Maruo, world sixth-place finisher Tomohiro Noda, and Kento Yoshikawa. The women’s 20km team includes Asian Race Walking Championships silver medallist Masumi Fuchise, Yukiko Umeno, and Ayane Yanai, the 2022 world U20 10,000m race walk bronze medallist.
Ikeda, the Olympic and world silver medallist, previously led Japan to team gold in the men’s 20km race walk at the 2018 World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, becoming his nation’s first 20km winner in the history of the championships. He went on to claim individual and team silver in Muscat in 2022.
The full Japanese team for the Antalya event is as follows:
- Women’s 20km: Masumi Fuchise, Yukiko Umeno, Ayane Yanai
- Women’s U20 10km: Suzuka Kuge, Suzu Okuno, Sumika Tani
- Men’s 20km: Ryo Hamanishi, Yuta Koga, Satoshi Maruo, Tomohiro Noda, Kento Yoshikawa
- Men’s U20 10km: Sotaro Osaka, Yuki Shimoda, Taisei Yoshizako
- Mixed Team Relay: Nanako Fujii, Koki Ikeda, Masatora Kawano, Kumiko Okada, Serena Sonoda, Kazuki Takahashi
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