Haruka Kitaguchi is the reigning world champion and Olympic champion in the women's javelin. (©SANKEI)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Haruka Kitaguchi Sets Sights on the Asian Javelin Record in 2025
To remain the best in the world in one's chosen profession, motivation and dedication are important characteristics. For Haruka Kitaguchi, a commitment to practice underscores both of those elements.
Although her outdoor season is likely set to begin with a Diamond League meet in China in May 2025, Kitaguchi is already busy preparing for spring and summer meets next year.
The women's javelin gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics started training for 2025 on November 1.
At a practice session open to the media on November 14 at the Ajinomoto National Training Center in Tokyo, the 26-year-old Hokkaido native outlined her top goals for next year.
As she aims to defend her world title at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, Kitaguchi also has another objective in mind for the year ahead.
She's targeting the Asian record for female javelin throwers (67.98 meters), set by China's Huihui Lyu in August 2019.
Kitaguchi's personal-best mark is 67.38 meters, established in September 2023.
"I really want to exceed it, and I think I can do it if I give it my all and the conditions are right," Kitaguchi was quoted as saying by The Sankei Shimbun.
She added, "I have confidence in myself."
Haruka Kitaguchi Raised Expectations with Olympic Gold
After claiming her first world title in Budapest in August 2023 (66.73 meters), Kitaguchi outclassed the field to capture the gold medal at the Paris Olympics on August 10, 2024. Her Olympic best throw: 65.80 meters.
Noting her age, a time in her life considered the peak for an elite athlete, Kitaguchi is thinking beyond 2025 in terms of goals.
She's also refreshed by having a clean slate for the upcoming season, telling reporters, "Every season, I start training thinking that I can find a new me," The Sankei Shimbun reported.
Added Kitaguchi, "I am looking forward to seeing what kind of person I can become."
Before she turns 30, Haruka Kitaguchi expects to accomplish more notable feats as a javelin thrower.
"I look forward to seeing how I come into form," Kitaguchi told reporters in Tokyo.
"Statistically, these next four years are the peak ones for a javelin thrower," she said, according to Kyodo News.
Various Sports are Incorporated into Her Training
In addition to typical muscle-building activities, Haruka Kitaguchi is making other sports a part of her workout regimen. The activities include swimming, badminton and gymnastics to help maintain her strength and muscular flexibility, which are key components of throwing the javelin.
As the 2024 Diamond League Final winner gets ready for the upcoming season, she likened cooking in the kitchen to training at a sports venue.
"It is just like cooking," she said of training, according to The Sankei Shimbun. "I hope to cook slowly and carefully so as not to make mistakes in the intensity of training."
Continue reading the full story, which includes news items on soccer, baseball, golf and more, on SportsLook.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
