The Japan Championships for the 20km track and field walk was held in Kobe, and Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Koki Ikeda won the men's race with a time of 1:18:36.
Ikeda broke the standard participation record for the world championship in August and was appointed to the national team.
The competition was held in the form of 20 laps of a 1-kilometer course in bad weather with continuous rain.
In the men's race, Ikeda, who won silver medals in both the Tokyo Olympics and last year's World Championships, and Hideki Takahashi, who has won five consecutive Japanese championships, led the field after 6km.
At around 16km, Ikeda took advantage of the speed of the pitch to increase his speed and pulled away from Takahashi.
Ikeda broke the standard participation record of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 10 seconds for the World Championships held in Hungary in August and was appointed as a representative of the World Championships.
Ikeda said, "It was a good race in which I was able to take the initiative. At the 16km mark, I changed my mind and went forward with the intention of winning. The goal of the world championships is to win a gold medal, so I'm going to have to review my gait and improve my level. I want to improve and face it." I was looking ahead.
Takahashi, who came in 2nd, also finished with a time of 1 hour 19 minutes 7 seconds, and was unofficially selected to represent the world championships.
Takahashi enthusiastically said, "I'm relieved that I was able to run the race that I had envisioned, and that I was able to get a job offer. I want to get advice from various people and do my best to win and win a medal at the World Championships by the summer."
On the other hand, in the women's event, Nanako Fujii, a member of the Tokyo Olympic team, finished first and won the tournament for the second time. I did.