The Japan Championships in Athletics, a long-distance track and field event that also served as the representative of the Tokyo Olympics, was held in Osaka City, and Nozomi Tanaka won the women's 5000 meters with a time of 15 minutes 5 seconds 65 seconds.
Tanaka has been appointed as the first Olympic representative because he has met the conditions set by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations.
On the other hand, rival Rika Hironaka, who continued to pull the race at the beginning, was overtaken by Tanaka in the last lap and finished second.
"I want to strengthen myself while facing myself."
Tanaka said in the race that was reversed in the last lap, "I proceeded with the race with the idea that I could win in any development. I usually cannot do my own race with the opponent in mind, but today Partly because it was held in my hometown of Kansai, I ran while thinking about the faces of the people who took care of me. "
He was enthusiastic about the unofficial decision for the Tokyo Olympics, saying, "Because it is a right that I won with painful feelings, I want to strengthen myself while facing myself without wasting it."
Training review
A battle between 21-year-old Tanaka and 20-year-old Hironaka, who are expected to have the most fierce battle in this tournament, between two Japanese hopes.
Supporting the strength of the winning player, Tanaka, is the difference in ability felt in the world and the training that was reviewed to fill it.
Tanaka broke the standard record for participation in the Tokyo Olympics by marking the second best time in Japan's history at the women's 5000 meters in the world championship last year, but he was keenly aware of the thickness of the world wall in 14th place. ..
Even at the international competition that I participated in in February, I couldn't get any results, so I thoroughly reviewed the content of the training in order to fight the world.
The theme is both speed and stamina.
While retaining Tanaka's characteristic of pulling the race at a high pace from the beginning, he aimed to run in a world where he could keep pace as much as possible in the second half.
It is a review of the orthodox practice of running at the time set by the symbol and running again with a break.
I created a strict menu with my father and coach, Kenchi, who sprinted at a time setting that assumed a race, connected by jogging, and ran at full power, and pushed myself.
This effect has been seen one after another since July when the tournament resumed.
The women's 3000 meters set a new Japanese record for the first time in 18 years, and the women's 1500 meters set a new Japanese record for the first time in 14 years.
The 5,000-meter race on the 4th, which will take part in the Tokyo Olympics, which has been the biggest goal of this year.
It is said that bargaining becomes more important as the distance increases, but Tanaka decided, "I will not compete on the opponent's ring. I will pursue my own way of running."
I can say that because I am confident that I was born by accumulating thorough training.
In the last lap, I got the ticket for the Olympics by sticking to my personality with that confident run.
What is Nozomi Tanaka?
Nozomi Tanaka is 21 years old from Hyogo prefecture.
It is a characteristic of running that maintains top speed from the beginning of the race.
In July, the women's 3000 meters set a Japanese record of 8 minutes 41 seconds 35, and in August the women's 1500 meters also broke the Japanese record.
Tanaka's parents are both track and field athletes, and his mother, Chihiro, has won the Hokkaido Marathon twice.
Tanaka, who grew up watching Chihiro's practice from an early age, went on to Nishiwaki Technical High School in Hyogo, where he achieved good results in the high school overall and national polity, and was also active in high school relay road races and national women's relay road races.
After graduating, he went to Doshisha University and practiced in a club team coached by his father, Kenchi, and won the women's 3000 meters in the world championships under the age of 20 held in Finland.
In addition, he won the Japan Championship in October for the first time at 1500 meters.
Hironaka hat does not allow you to concentrate
20-year-old Rika Hironaka lost in a rivalry with Tanaka.
I wore a trademark hat and concentrated on my running, but it was a little short.
The secret of Hironaka's strength lies in his trademark hat.
Hironaka runs with a hat on most occasions in both games and practice.
Of course, it also makes sense to avoid the sun, but the main reason is to narrow the field of vision with the brim.
By doing so, he says he can concentrate on his "running".
The trademark of the All-Japan Business Group Women's Ekiden, which contributed to the victory by showing the section prize in the first ward of the start, and the September track race, which marked the third best time in Japan's history in the 5000-meter race. I was wearing a hat.
In this tournament, which was said to be stamina Hironaka against Tanaka of speed, he also put on a hat and concentrated on his own running, leading the race from the middle stage, but Tanaka at the last 200 meters I was evaded.
Even though I lost, there is no doubt that the match with my rivals was a big experience.
Only one slot has been decided on the 4th, and the remaining slots will be used for next year's Japan Championships.