This year’s Japan Athletics Championships takes on a whole new level of significance with spots for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo at stake.
It’s all up for grabs for the home athletes of the 13-21 September worlds at the National Stadium, where the 109th edition of the Japan Athletics Championships are also being held from 4-6 July.
Only three athletes have pre-booked a place on the Japanese team for the world championships – Kitaguchi Haruka, the Olympic and world champion in the women’s javelin throw; Takemura Rachid, the 110m hurdler; and Miura Ryuji in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase.
Everyone else will have to go through the nationals this week if they want the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of competing at athletics’ flagship event in their own country. To qualify, he or she must meet the qualifying standard while finishing in the top three at the three-day meet.
With Kitaguchi having withdrawn due to right elbow inflammation and Takemura saving himself for worlds coming off fourth place at Diamond League Paris, most eyes will be on the men’s 100m, two-time Olympian Abdul Hakim Sani Brown in particular.
Sani Brown – who has reached the final at the last two world championships – is the only one in the field with a sub-10 qualifying time but has not run better than 10.31 so far this year.
His chief threat is expected to come from Yanagita Hiroki, the reigning two-time Asian champion who won the Golden Grand Prix in May in a Japanese lead of 10.06, over Christian Coleman.
National record-holder of 9.95, Yamagata Ryota, who helped his team to 4x100m silver at Rio 2016, could make things interesting after showing signs of a reprisal having run a 10.12 last month.
Also look out for half-Peruvian Flores Arie, who has just acquired eligibility to compete after acquiring Japanese citizenship.
In May, the 21-year-old surpassed the women’s 400m Japan record with a 51.71. Although it did not go down as a new record because she had not been naturalised yet, it was the fastest time in 17 years.
Below is the complete schedule of the Japan Athletics Championships.