Masatora Kawano is the second Japan athlete qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men's 50-kilometer race walking after he won today an event in Takahata, Yamagata Prefecture in a Japanese national record time.
Kawano, a 21-year-old Toyo University student, crossed the finish line in 33:36:45 and met the qualifying standard of 3:45:00 set by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.
The previous national record of 3:39:07 was set by Yusuke Suzuki at the nationals in April.
Suzuki, the first ever Japanese man to win a world race walking title, is the only other race walker to seal an Olympic berth in the 50-km discipline.
With this performance Masatora Kawano in addition to having established the new national record of Japan is at the top of the 2019 world seasonal ranking of which we indicate the first ten athletes:
50km men
Japan no longer ends up surprising us. Now from Beijing 2015 as Takayuki Tanii won the bronze in the 50km of World Championships, we are witnessing an incredibly Rossinian crescendo.
Today the race went like this.
- at 10km
They are leading the race in three athletes: Masatora Kawano (JPN), Satoshi Maruo (JPN) and Kai Kobayashi (JPN) who pass together at 5km in 21:50, and at the 10km mark in 43:37 with the second 5km covered in 21:47.
- at 20km
After having passed at 15km (1:05:37) Masatora Kawano (JPN) forced the pace to get rid of his team-mates. His passage at 20km is 1:26:06 (quarter 5km: 20:27). His advantage over Satoshi Maruo is 22" which in turn has another 30" over Kai Kobayashi.
- at 30km
Kawano passes to the 25km in 1:47:25 with an advantage of 18" on Maruo. But is catched shortly before the 30km when the two pass paired in 2:30:35 (sixth 5km: 21:52). Kobayashi follows in 2:09:40.
- at 40km
Kawano and Maruo pass at 35km together in 2:30:45 with an advantage over Kobayashi of 1:45 (2:32:30) and also at 40km 2:52:39 (eighth 5km: 21:54).
- last 10km
Shortly after Masatora Kawano decides to force the pace again and covers the next 5km in 21:44.
His mark to 45km sees him alone at the top of the race in 3:14:23 with a 28" lead over Satoshi Maruo (3:37:39).
The last 5km are slower (22:22), but they are those of the glory that brings him to the new record of Japan in 3:36:45.
It is not enough. Even Satoshi Maruo goes under the previous Japanese record of Yusuke Suzuki (3:39:07) finishing the race in 3:37:39.
Third place to Kai Kobayashi 3:46:23.
Under 4:00:00 hours:
4° Isamu Fujisawa (JPN) in 3:52:21
5° Yuki Ito (JPN) in 3:55:11
6° Shuto Goto (JPN) in 3:59:08
The selections laws of Japan say that for Tokyo 2020 Sukuki should be selected for the victory at Doha 2019, Masatora Kawano for that of today, and the last should be who will win the 2020 National Championship in Wajima.
We will have to support Satoshi Maruo on that date.
Otherwise we would not like to be my own in the hands of Fumio Imamura who might have to leave at home an athlete of 3:37:49.
When we talk about programming we will have to take as an example: Japan in men and China in women.
It seems that the Far East has become the undisputed owner of the world race walk.
Glory to the Far East.
The other races in a separate news.
(Cover photo by Akihiro Sugimoto - JPN)
Full results (of all categories and events) in the section Results or directly download from this link: click here