[JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK] Marathon Runners Chosen to Represent Japan at the World Championships
Ed Odeven 
From left, marathon runners Ryota Kondo, Yuya Yoshida, Yuka Ando and Kana Kobayashi attend a news conference on March 27 in Tokyo. Along with this quartet, Sayaka Sato was also selected to represent Japan in the marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in September. (©Representative photo/NIKKAN SPORTS/via SANKEI)
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Japan's representatives for the men's and women's marathon races at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo were revealed on Wednesday, March 26.
The Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) announced that Yuya Yoshida and Ryota Kondo will represent the Hinomaru in the men's race. Yuka Ando, Kana Kobayashi and Sayaka Sato were selected as Japan's women's marathon participants.
Of the five chosen marathon runners after a thorough qualification process, Ando and Sato will both return as competitors at worlds for the second time.
Ando placed 17th at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in 2 hours, 31 minutes, 31 seconds. She ran a personal-best time of 2:21:18 at the 2024 Nagoya Women's Marathon, finishing as the winner.
Sato made her world championships debut in 2023 at the global meet in Budapest. She finished 20th in the Hungarian capital with a time of 2:31:57. At the 2025 Nagoya Women's Marathon on March 9, clocked 2:20:59 to place second.
After the race, Sato acknowledged it strengthened her self-assurance.
"I've always wanted to have a race that can satisfy myself, and I'm so happy that I managed to keep running without dropping my pace late in the race," Sato was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "Being able to set a new personal best gives me a confidence boost."
Getting Ready for Marathon Debuts at the World Championships
In Tokyo, the women's marathon at the world championships is set for September 14, followed by the men's race a day later.
And with less than six months now until the global extravaganza begins on September 13, athletes are busy preparing for various events.
Kondo, 25, insisted he'll be ready, including for uncomfortable weather conditions.
"My strength is that I am not affected by the conditions," Kondo said at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday, March 27, according to Jiji Press. "I will find an opportunity to win in the heat and aim for a higher ranking."
In February, Kondo established a Japan record for first-time marathon runners (2:05:39) en route to a second-place finish in the Osaka Marathon.
Noting that it's his first world championships, Yoshida, who turns 28 on April 23, said he will be "very nervous." At the same time, he told reporters he aims to have a successful appearance in the track and field meet.
"I will focus on what I have to do and prepare myself to the best of my ability to achieve a high ranking," Yoshida was quoted as saying by NHK.
Another Chance to Race in the Marathon at Worlds
Eight years after her world championships debut, Ando is looking forward to the opportunity to compete again on the global stage.
"Last time, I was still inexperienced and felt frustrated because I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere," recalled Ando, according to NHK. "So this time I want to prepare as much as I can so that I can give it my all to win a prize."
Marathon Alternates for Japan
The JAAF picked Kyohei Hosoya, who was fourth in the 2025 Osaka Marathon in February and ran a personal-best time of 2:05:58, as the host nation's alternate for the men's race.
For the women's race, Yuka Suzuki, sixth-place finisher at the 2024 Paris Olympics, was named Japan's alternate. She placed third at January's Osaka Women's International Marathon.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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