Koki Ikeda (池田 向希, Ikeda Kōki; born 3 May 1998) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. He studied at Toyo University. Ikeda…
Koki Ikeda (池田 向希, Ikeda Kōki; born 3 May 1998) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. He studied at Toyo University. Ikeda won a bronze medal in 20 kilometres race walk at the 2019 Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi. He represented Japan at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, competing in 20 kilometres walk. He won a silver medal at 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the same event. In February 2025, Ikeda was banned for anti-doping violations for four years from November 2024 with results from June 2023 disqualified. His blood samples showed abnormalities alleged to indicate tampering.
Famous Japanese People: Track and Field
Track and Field: 606 people
Gen Naganuma (born 31 March 1998) is a Japanese javelin thrower.
Tatsuhiko Ito (伊藤達彦, Itō Tatsuhiko, born 23 March 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. On 4 December 2020, he…
Tatsuhiko Ito (伊藤達彦, Itō Tatsuhiko, born 23 March 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. On 4 December 2020, he finished second to Akira Aizawa in the 10,000m race at the Japanese national championships in a time of 27:25.73 at the Nagai Stadium, Osaka. In doing so, he broke the old Japanese national record along with Akira Aizawa and ran the Olympic qualifying standard time to secure a place at his home 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Yuto Seko (born 16 March 1998) is a Japanese high jumper. He was a silver medalist at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics…
Yuto Seko (born 16 March 1998) is a Japanese high jumper. He was a silver medalist at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.
Ryuichiro Sakai (坂井 隆一郎, Sakai Ryūichirō; born 14 March 1998) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters.…
Ryuichiro Sakai (坂井 隆一郎, Sakai Ryūichirō; born 14 March 1998) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters. In 2023, he won the 100 meters at the Japanese Championships. He also competed in the same event at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, reaching the semi finals in 2022. In 2024, he qualified for the 100 meters at the 2024 Summer Olympics based on his world ranking.
Kaede Maegawa (born 24 February 1998) is a Japanese Paralympic sprinter and long jumper who competes in international…
Kaede Maegawa (born 24 February 1998) is a Japanese Paralympic sprinter and long jumper who competes in international track and field competitions. She competed at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics. In 2021, Maegawa published a children's book about a black Labrador dog who has a prosthetic leg, she depicted the dog like herself who has a disability and her family's pet dog, Ku, who is also a black Labrador. The book was written and illustrated by Maegawa while she was competing at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Akira Akasaki (赤﨑暁, Akasaki Akira, born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished sixth in the…
Akira Akasaki (赤﨑暁, Akasaki Akira, born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He finished sixth in the marathon at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Hibiki Tsuha (津波 響樹, Tsuha Hibiki; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long jumper. In 2019, he competed in the men's…
Hibiki Tsuha (津波 響樹, Tsuha Hibiki; born 21 January 1998) is a Japanese long jumper. In 2019, he competed in the men's long jump at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He did not qualify to compete in the final. In 2019, he also competed in the men's long jump at the 2019 Summer Universiade held in Naples, Italy. He did not qualify to compete in the final. In 2020, he won the gold medal in his event at the 2020 Japan Championships in Athletics held in Niigata, Japan.
Kazuki Kawamura (河村 一輝, Kawamura Kazuki, born 13 November 1997) is a Japanese middle and long-distance runner, who…
Kazuki Kawamura (河村 一輝, Kawamura Kazuki, born 13 November 1997) is a Japanese middle and long-distance runner, who specializes in the 1500 metres. He is the Japanese national record holder for the 1500 metres, with a time of 3:35.42. He also won the event at the 2021 and 2023 Japan Championships in Athletics.
Yohei Komatsu (born 2 November 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2019, he competed in the senior men's race…
Yohei Komatsu (born 2 November 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2019, he competed in the senior men's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. He finished in 92nd place.
Kota Wakabayashi (若林 康太, Wakabayashi Kōta; born 23 October 1997) is a Japanese athlete who specializes in the 400…
Kota Wakabayashi (若林 康太, Wakabayashi Kōta; born 23 October 1997) is a Japanese athlete who specializes in the 400 metres run. He competed in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Kota Wakabayashi gained his first international experience at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019, where he won the gold medal with the Japanese 4 x 400 metre relay in 3:02.94 min and the bronze medal with the mixed relay in 3:20.29 min behind the teams from Bahrain and India.
Mana Sasaki (佐々木真菜, Sasaki Mana; born 2 September 1997) is a visually impaired Japanese para athlete who competes in…
Mana Sasaki (佐々木真菜, Sasaki Mana; born 2 September 1997) is a visually impaired Japanese para athlete who competes in T13 sprint events. She represented Japan at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Jun Yamashita (山下 潤, Yamashita Jun; born 23 August 1997) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200 metres…
Jun Yamashita (山下 潤, Yamashita Jun; born 23 August 1997) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
Ichitaka Yamashita (山下一貴, Yamashita Ichitaka; born 29 July 1997) is a Japanese marathon runner.
Akira Aizawa (相澤晃, born 18 July 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. On 4 December 2020, he won the 10,000m race…
Akira Aizawa (相澤晃, born 18 July 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. On 4 December 2020, he won the 10,000m race at the Japanese national championships in a time of 27:18:75 at the Nagai Stadium, Osaka. In doing so, he broke the Japanese national record and ran the Olympic qualifying standard time to secure a place at his home 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Ryoma Aoki (青木涼真, Aoki Ryōma, born 16 June 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the 3000 metres…
Ryoma Aoki (青木涼真, Aoki Ryōma, born 16 June 1997) is a Japanese long-distance runner. He competed in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Nanaka Kori (郡 菜々佳, Kori Nanaka; born 2 May 1997) is a Japanese athlete competing in the shot put and discus throw. She…
Nanaka Kori (郡 菜々佳, Kori Nanaka; born 2 May 1997) is a Japanese athlete competing in the shot put and discus throw. She represented her country in the discus at the 2019 World Championships in Doha without reaching the final. Her personal best in the discus of 59.03 metres is the current national record.
Remi Tsuruta (鶴田 玲美, born 18 April 1997) is a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay event…
Remi Tsuruta (鶴田 玲美, born 18 April 1997) is a Japanese athlete. She competed in the women's 4 × 100 metres relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Yuta Bando (坂東 悠汰, Bandō Yūta; born 21 November 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner.
Naoto Hasegawa (born 15 November 1996) is a Japanese high jumper. He competed for Japan at the 2023 World Athletics…
Naoto Hasegawa (born 15 November 1996) is a Japanese high jumper. He competed for Japan at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Kazuya Shiojiri (born 8 November 1996) is a Japanese steeplechase and long-distance runner.
Julian Jrummi Walsh (ウォルシュ・ジュリアン・ジャミイ Uorushu Jurian Jamii, born 18 September 1996 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a…
Julian Jrummi Walsh (ウォルシュ・ジュリアン・ジャミイ Uorushu Jurian Jamii, born 18 September 1996 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born Japanese track and field athlete competing in the sprints. He is the son of reggae drummer Emanuel Walsh (Pablo Moses, the Mighty Diamonds, Garnett Silk and John Holt), who married a Japanese woman and has lived in Japan for almost 20 years. Walsh moved to Japan as a toddler and grew up in Higashimurayama. He started running track in 10th grade, but his school had no facilities to practice on and no coach. He couldn't take track seriously until the following year. After two seasons, he led off the Japanese silver medal winning relay team at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. That same summer he moved into senior level competition, anchoring the Asian-Pacific 4x400 metres relay team at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup. Two years later, he qualified for the 2016 Olympics in the 400 metres, by running a 45.35 at the Japanese Olympic Trials in Nagoya at age 19.
Serena Sonoda (園田 世玲奈, Sonoda Serena; born 10 September 1996) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. Representing Japan at…
Serena Sonoda (園田 世玲奈, Sonoda Serena; born 10 September 1996) is a Japanese racewalking athlete. Representing Japan at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, she placed seventh in the women's 35 kilometres walk. She competed in the women's 35 kilometres walk at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Takamasa Kitagawa (北川 貴理, Kitagawa Takamasa; born 5 September 1996) is a Japanese sprinter specialising in the 400…
Takamasa Kitagawa (北川 貴理, Kitagawa Takamasa; born 5 September 1996) is a Japanese sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. He has won several medals with the Japanese 4 × 400 metres relay team. His personal best in the 400 metres is 45.52 seconds set in Niigata in 2015.
Nanako Matsumoto (born 3 September 1996) is a Japanese sprinter. She is the 2025 Asian champion and the 2024 Asian…
Nanako Matsumoto (born 3 September 1996) is a Japanese sprinter. She is the 2025 Asian champion and the 2024 Asian indoor champion, and the Japanese national record holder over 400 metres indoors.
Azusa Sumi (鷲見 梓沙, Sumi Azusa; born 12 August 1996) is a female long-distance runner from Japan. She competed in the…
Azusa Sumi (鷲見 梓沙, Sumi Azusa; born 12 August 1996) is a female long-distance runner from Japan. She competed in the Women's 5000 metres event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.
Honami Maeda (前田 穂南, Maeda Honami; born 17 July 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She is the holder of the…
Honami Maeda (前田 穂南, Maeda Honami; born 17 July 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She is the holder of the Japanese national record for 30 km (1:38:35), and the marathon (2:18:59), and the winner of the 2017 Hokkaido Marathon and the 2019 Marathon Grand Championship. She represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Maeda won her first marathon in 2017 (Hokkaido Marathon in 2:28:48). She was second in the 2018 Osaka International Women's Marathon, and in the same year won the Sanyo Women's Half Marathon in 1:09:12. In 2020 Maeda won the Japanese Olympic Marathon trials in 2:25:15, beating second placed Ayuko Suzuki and third placed Rei Ohara. On 10 March 2024, Maeda was selected to represent Japan in the women's marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics. On 9 August, the day before the race, she announced that she would be forced to withdraw from competition due to a stress fracture in her right femur.
Shuhei Tada (多田 修平, Tada Shūhei; born 24 June 1996) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the…
Shuhei Tada (多田 修平, Tada Shūhei; born 24 June 1996) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. Tada also represented Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, competing in the 100 metre and 4x100 metre relay events.
Yuka Hori (堀優花, Hori Yuka; born June 13, 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She won a silver medal in the 10,000…
Yuka Hori (堀優花, Hori Yuka; born June 13, 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She won a silver medal in the 10,000 m at the 2017 Asian Championships and placed seventh at the 2018 Asian Games.
Fuga Sato (佐藤 風雅, Satō Fūga; born 1 June 1996) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He won a…
Fuga Sato (佐藤 風雅, Satō Fūga; born 1 June 1996) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships. He competed in the 400 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he qualified for the semi-final.
Kirara Shiraishi (白石 黄良々, Kirara Shiraishi; born 31 May 1996) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200…
Kirara Shiraishi (白石 黄良々, Kirara Shiraishi; born 31 May 1996) is a Japanese athlete. He competed in the men's 200 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
Megumi Hemphill known as Megu Hemphill and Meg Hemphill (born 23 May 1996, in Kyotanabe, Kyoto) is a Japanese track and…
Megumi Hemphill known as Megu Hemphill and Meg Hemphill (born 23 May 1996, in Kyotanabe, Kyoto) is a Japanese track and field athlete. She was the Japanese national champion in 2017 and she was placed second in the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships heptathlon.
Naoki Koyama (born 12 May 1996) is a Japanese marathon runner. Koyoma set a course record of 2:07:40 at the 2023 Gold…
Naoki Koyama (born 12 May 1996) is a Japanese marathon runner. Koyoma set a course record of 2:07:40 at the 2023 Gold Coast Marathon in Australia and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by winning the Marathon Grand Championships in Japan. At the Olympics, Koyama placed 23rd in the men's marathon. He was present at the opening of the Museum of World Athletics Heritage Athletics exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in July 2025.
Seika Aoyama (青山聖佳, Aoyama Seika; born 1 May 1996) is a Japanese sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. She competed…
Seika Aoyama (青山聖佳, Aoyama Seika; born 1 May 1996) is a Japanese sprinter specialising in the 400 metres. She competed in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing and earlier won a silver medal in this event at the 2014 Asian Games.
Yuta Sakiyama (born 5 April 1996) is a Japanese javelin thrower who won the Japanese Athletics Championships in 2025.…
Yuta Sakiyama (born 5 April 1996) is a Japanese javelin thrower who won the Japanese Athletics Championships in 2025. He represented Japan at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Anju Takamizawa (高見澤 安珠, Takamizawa Anju; born 6 March 1996) is a Japanese athlete competing in the 3000 metres…
Anju Takamizawa (高見澤 安珠, Takamizawa Anju; born 6 March 1996) is a Japanese athlete competing in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but did not qualify for the final.
Yui Yabuta (藪田 裕衣, Yabuta Yui; born 4 March 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She competed in the senior…
Yui Yabuta (藪田 裕衣, Yabuta Yui; born 4 March 1996) is a Japanese long-distance runner. She competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. She finished in 95th place. In 2019, she also competed in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase event at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. She finished in 10th place.
Hanami Sekine (関根 花観 (Sekine Hanami); born 26 February 1996) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in…
Hanami Sekine (関根 花観 (Sekine Hanami); born 26 February 1996) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in track events. She competed for Japan at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Born in Tokyo, Sekine showed her promise for distance running by winning a leg at the Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden as a junior high school athlete. Her first international medal came over 3000 metres at the 2014 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, where she was silver medallist behind Kyrgyz athlete Darya Maslova. She continued to perform well in national ekiden competitions, winning her stage at the Inter-Prefectural race in 2014 and 2016, and coming runner-up at the All-Japan Women's Corporate Ekiden Championships in 2015. Sekine showed much improvement on the track in the 2016 season and at the 2016 Japan Championships in Athletics she set a personal best of 31:22.92 minutes to take second behind Ayuko Suzuki in the 10,000 metres, then placed third in the 5000 metres with another best of 15:24.74 minutes. She was chosen to represent Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics over the longer distance. At the competition she was near the top of the field in the opening stages, but fell away as the leading pack took on a world record pace. She finished 20th, two places behind national rival Yuka Takashima.
Toshikazu Yamanishi (山西 利和, Yamanishi Toshikazu; born 15 February 1996) is a Japanese race walker.
Kaisei Yui (油井 快晴, Yui Kaisei; born 6 February 1996) is a Japanese track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400…
Kaisei Yui (油井 快晴, Yui Kaisei; born 6 February 1996) is a Japanese track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres. He competed in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2014 World Indoor Championships without qualifying for the final.
Tomohiro Noda (野田 明宏, Noda Tomohiro; born 24 January 1996) is a Japanese racewalker. In 2019, he competed in the men's…
Tomohiro Noda (野田 明宏, Noda Tomohiro; born 24 January 1996) is a Japanese racewalker. In 2019, he competed in the men's 50 kilometres walk at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar. He did not finish his race. In 2015, he competed in the men's 20 kilometres walk at the 2015 Summer Universiade held in Gwangju, South Korea. He finished in 8th place. In 2017, he competed in the men's 20 kilometres walk at the 2017 Summer Universiade held in Taipei, Taiwan. He finished in 7th place.
Arisa Kimishima (君嶋 愛梨沙, Kimishima Arisa; born 23 December 1995 in Iwakuni) is a Japanese bobsledder and sprinter. As a…
Arisa Kimishima (君嶋 愛梨沙, Kimishima Arisa; born 23 December 1995 in Iwakuni) is a Japanese bobsledder and sprinter. As a bobsledder, she competed in the two-woman event at the 2017 World Championships. As a sprinter, she is a former Japanese junior high school record holder in the 200 metres and the 2009 Japanese junior high school champion.
Yoshihide Kiryū (桐生 祥秀, Kiryū Yoshihide; born 15 December 1995) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 100…
Yoshihide Kiryū (桐生 祥秀, Kiryū Yoshihide; born 15 December 1995) is a Japanese sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres. Born in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Kiryū played football while at elementary school and became interested in track and field at junior high school, as his brother took part in the sport. In 2011, he won the under-16 national title in the 100 metres at the National Sports Festival of Japan, with a time of 10.58 seconds. The following year, Kiryū ran in the under-18 category at the same competition and broke the world youth best for the 100 metres by bettering Tamunosiki Atorudibo's record of 10.23 seconds by two hundredths of a second on 5 October 2012. Less than a month later, on 3 November 2012, Kiryū lowered his own record to 10.19 seconds. On 29 April 2013, Kiryū (still a student at Rakunan High School in Tō-ji) ran at the Oda Memorial meet and tied the World junior record of 10.01 seconds co-held by Darrel Brown and Jeffery Demps. The IAAF subsequently rejected the inclusion of the time as an official record due to the use of unapproved wind-speed measurement equipment on the track. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Kiryū won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay.
Akihiro Higashida (東田 旺洋, born 13 December 1995) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres event at…
Akihiro Higashida (東田 旺洋, born 13 December 1995) is a Japanese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Miyuki Uehara (Japanese: 上原 美幸; born 22 November 1995) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in the…
Miyuki Uehara (Japanese: 上原 美幸; born 22 November 1995) is a Japanese female long-distance runner who competes in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres. Born in Kagoshima, she attended high school there and after graduation became a professional corporate runner with Dai-ichi Life. She made her first progress at senior national level in 2015, coming seventh at the Japanese National Games, then took fifth over 5000 m at the 2016 Japan Championships in Athletics. As a junior athlete, she made her breakthrough at the Asian Cross Country Championships, leading the Japanese in the individual and team events for two junior gold medals. Later that year, she placed eighth on the track in the 3000 metres at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. She was on Japan's fourth-placed junior team at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In 2015, she improved her track bests to 15:21.40 minutes for the 5000 m and 32:16.66 minutes for the 10,000 m. Under the guidance of coach Sachiko Yamashita (a former world medallist in the marathon), she gained selection for Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics and, after front-running her heat, she made it to the Olympic 5000 m final – only the second Japanese woman to achieve that feat.
Marina Saito (斉藤 真理菜, Saitō Marina; born 15 October 1995) is a Japanese athlete specialising in the javelin throw. She…
Marina Saito (斉藤 真理菜, Saitō Marina; born 15 October 1995) is a Japanese athlete specialising in the javelin throw. She represented her country at the 2017 World Championships. In addition, she won the silver medal at the 2017 Summer Universiade. Her personal best in the event is 62.37 metres set in Taipei in 2017.
Taio Kanai (金井大旺, Kanai Taiō; born 28 September 1995) is a Japanese athlete specialising in the high hurdles. He…
Taio Kanai (金井大旺, Kanai Taiō; born 28 September 1995) is a Japanese athlete specialising in the high hurdles. He finished fourth at the 2017 Summer Universiade. His personal best in the 110 metres hurdles was 13.34 (+0.3 m/s) set in Machida in 2020, until his 13.16 (+1.7) national record set in Hiroshima in 2021.
Kaori Morita (森田 香織, Morita Kaori; born 19 September 1995) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2017, she competed in…
Kaori Morita (森田 香織, Morita Kaori; born 19 September 1995) is a Japanese long-distance runner. In 2017, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Kampala, Uganda. She finished in 80th place. In 2018, she competed in the women's half marathon at the 2018 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships held in Valencia, Spain. She finished in 17th place.
Anna Doi (土井 杏南, Doi Anna; born 24 August 1995 in Kiyose) is a Japanese sprinter. She competed for the Japanese team in…
Anna Doi (土井 杏南, Doi Anna; born 24 August 1995 in Kiyose) is a Japanese sprinter. She competed for the Japanese team in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics; the team placed 15th with a time of 44.25 in Round 1 and did not qualify for the final.
Takuto Kominami (Japanese: 小南 拓人, born 26 July 1995) is a Japanese athlete specializing in the javelin throw. He…
Takuto Kominami (Japanese: 小南 拓人, born 26 July 1995) is a Japanese athlete specializing in the javelin throw. He represented Japan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the javelin throw.