Three of the men who featured on the bronze-medal-winning team from two years ago will again represent Japan in the 20km at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Rome 2016 on 7-8 May.

Eiki Takahashi, Takumi Saito and Isamu Fujisawa all finished in the top 25 in the 20km race walk in Taicang in 2014. Since then, they have all gone on to improve on their personal bests.

Takahashi set a short-lived national record of 1:18:03 to win the Japanese title last year. He successfully defended his title two months ago in a world-leading 1:18:26.

Fujisawa finished second to Takahashi at the National Championships, clocking a lifetime best of 1:18:45 to move to third on the Japanese all-time list. Fujisawa was Japan’s top finisher in this event at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, placing 13th.

Saito, who finished sixth at the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, improved his lifetime best to 1:19:44 last month in Nomi.

Kai Kobayashi and Satoshi Maruo, both with sub-1:20 PBs, round out the team for the men’s 20km. Both will be making their global championships debut.

Japan does not compete in the 50 km because, as is usually done for years, will be held April 17 in Wajima in Japan, selection for 50km of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The team

Men

20km: Isamu Fujisawa, Kai Kobayashi, Satoshi Maruo, Takumi Saito, Eiki Takahashi

U20 10km: Masaya Ishikawa, Masatora Kawano, Ryutaro Yamamoto

Women

20km: Masumi Fuchise, Rena Goto, Ai Michiguchi, Kumiko Okada

U20 10km: Sayori Matsumoto, Yukiho Mizoguchi, Maika Yagi