Yesterday 19 December 2017, in the Gala of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations took place the awarding of the 2017 Athletics Awards.
Hirooki Arai, who won the silver medal at the World Championships in 2017, was honored as the athlete of the year.
These are the declarations of the winner:
"Today, I receive the Athlete of the Year award.
Having won this beautiful award fills me with a feeling of honor and the thought goes to our many fans that I thank very much.
When I remember the world championships in London, I remember winning the silver medal, but I also remember the great result that the three of us (editor's note: Arai, Kobayashi and Mario who competed in the 50 km) arrived in the first 5 positions.
This is a great collective result and indicates that now Japan is a very strong team in the march and we have managed to prove it. I believe we are ready to proceed in the future, towards the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
I myself consider the Tokyo Olympic Games as the most important goal of my sports career.
The march has been very developed in recent years starting also from the minor categories, which are increasingly full of athletes during the races. This development I think can lead to further moments of glory for Japan and for this we must and we want to work hard and do our best.
Today, thank you very much. "
Kay Kobayashi
All awarded