• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

Osaka Notes, Day 2, by Mary Nicole Nazzaro

Larry Ederby Larry Eder
August 26, 2007
0
0 0
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In today’s column, Nicole writes about the host country Japan and the challenge in gettig medals as a host country.


Osaka Notes
By Mary NicoleNazzaro
Day 2: Sunday, August 26, 2007
There’s always one day at the world track and field championships where the host country merits a mention, if not for a superior medal-winning performance then for the sheer sportsmanship and support shown by its fans.
Japan’s day came early, on Day Two in Osaka. There were no Japanese medals handed out today – the men’s marathoners fought valiantly in the heat on Saturday, notching places five through seven and with them, the team title – but what there was, was an abundance of support for every single athlete wearing a Japanese uniform, no matter if they finished in the middle of the pack or even in last place.
In the men’s 100-meter semifinals, Nobuharu Asahara fought as hard as he could in a star-studded field, but wound up in last place. The crowd was with him all the way, cheering as he was introduced, exploding as the race began, and falling silent as Asahara faded behind eventual silver and bronze medalists Derrick Atkins and Asafa Powell.
On Saturday Asahara won his first-round heat – his 10.14 was a season-best mark for him – and then popped a fourth-place finish in his second-round race to notch a spot in the semis. No question, Asahara did everything he could to stay in the meet – and that earned him accolades from his country’s fans, and well-deserved ones at that.
It was no different for the rest of Japan’s competitors on Saturday. During the women’s pole vault qualifying round, Tayako Kondo stayed with a hotly competitive field – twelve women would eventually hit the auto-qualifier of 4.55 meters – and finally fell on her third attempt at 4.45 meters. The “ahhh!” in the stadium as the crossbar fell was truly painful to hear. But the 4.35 mark she did notch on her third attempt tied her personal best, originally set in May 2004. Kudos to the 31-year-old Japanese with a heart to match that of anyone who placed above her in these championships.
Also meriting a mention was Kenji Narisako in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, who acknowledged the crowd’s cheers as he as introduced in his semifinal race, then pushed as hard as he could to try to out-lean his competitors at the tape. He missed fourth place (and a spot in the final) by one one-hundredth of a second – but set a season-best 48.44 in the process.
Of course, there’s no rule that says the host country won’t have more than one special day. It just happened that on the second day of the 11th IAAF World Track and Field Championships, the Japanese distinguished themselves and made everyone sit up and take notice.
—
M. NicoleNazzaro
The China Sports Blog: http://chinasports.wokpopcorn.com

RelatedPosts

Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!

On Being a Better High School Track or Cross Country Coach: Learn Something New Every Day, five tips….

2025 London Diamond League Preview: Strong 800m, Lyles versus Tebogo

Author

  • Larry Eder

    Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

    View all posts
Previous Post

World Champs 2007, Day 2-Tyson Gay Takes 100 meters, Carolina Kluft takes gold in the Heptathlon

Next Post

World Champs, Day 2, Highlights

Larry Eder

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

Similar Post

Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!
European Athletics

Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!

July 19, 2025
Josh Kerr and Danny Mackey, considering the Athlete/Coach relationship
Coaching Athletics

On Being a Better High School Track or Cross Country Coach: Learn Something New Every Day, five tips….

July 19, 2025
Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world
European Athletics

Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world

July 19, 2025
2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.
Cross Country

2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.

July 19, 2025
Doha Meeting Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha (QAT) – 16 May 2025, the Complete Results
Diamond League

2025 London Diamond League Preview: Strong 800m, Lyles versus Tebogo

July 19, 2025
2025 European Athletics U23, Day 1 in Bergen, Norway: Germany Sweeps Women’s Shot Put!
Uncategorized

2025 European Athletics U23, Day 1 in Bergen, Norway: Germany Sweeps Women’s Shot Put!

July 19, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

April 5, 2023
2023 Nike Pre Classic: Two Amazing Days of Track & Field!

Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

March 7, 2024
Grand Slam Track’s Kingston Slam Comes to a Close with 12 Slam Champions

2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

April 12, 2025
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

February 6, 2025
Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

Mondo Duplantis and the Jump that made him the greatest of all time

8
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

My Five Biggest Takeaways from the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon, by Oliver Hinson

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!

Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!

July 19, 2025
Josh Kerr and Danny Mackey, considering the Athlete/Coach relationship

On Being a Better High School Track or Cross Country Coach: Learn Something New Every Day, five tips….

July 19, 2025
Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world

Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world

July 19, 2025
2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.

2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.

July 19, 2025

Popular Stories

  • Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    Clyde Hart’s Guide to 400 meter training (from 1996 Super Clinic Notes/World Coaches Notes)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Noah Lyles, The Clock Doesn’t Lie

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 2025 Spring Racing/Training Program, April 11, 2025, week 4, day 5, fourth week of year, Friday is an easy day!

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!
European Athletics

Niels Laros, Nine Questions, The RunBlogRun Interview for the winner of the 2025 Bowerman Mile!

July 19, 2025
Josh Kerr and Danny Mackey, considering the Athlete/Coach relationship
Coaching Athletics

On Being a Better High School Track or Cross Country Coach: Learn Something New Every Day, five tips….

July 19, 2025
Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world
European Athletics

Eugene Amo Dadzie: The fastest Accountant in the world

July 19, 2025
2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.
Cross Country

2025 Summer Mileage Program, July 19, 2025, Week Two , Day Six, the tenacity of Donavan Brazier.

July 19, 2025

Recent Tweets

Next Post

World Champs, Day 2, Highlights

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved