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[ODDS and EVENS] Race Walking Standouts Getting Ready for the Paris Olympics

Japan's Koki Ikeda and Kumiko Okada were second in the marathon mixed relay race at the World Race Walking Team Championships, raising expectations for Paris.

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 2024

Ed Odeven

Kumiko Okada (left) and Koki Ikeda display their silver medals from the marathon race walk mixed relay at the 2024 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The medalists, seen at Narita Airport, returned to Japan on April 23, two days after the competition. (KYODO)

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As two of Japan's best in their chosen sport, Koki Ikeda and Masatora Kawano brought valuable experience to the 2024 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Antalya, Turkey. Their independent experiences there should be helpful in preparing them for the Paris Olympics.

Ikeda paired up with Kumiko Okada, 32, and Kawano with Yukiko Umeno, 21, in the marathon race walk mixed relay on Sunday, April 21.

For this summer's Paris Games, the marathon race walk mixed relay is a new Olympic event.

Ikeda, men's 20-kilometer race walk silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the runner-up in the same event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, left Turkey with another award for his collection. With the 25-year-old Ikeda leading off, he and Okada alternated the four stages of the mixed marathon event. They placed second overall with a time of 2 hours, 57 minutes, 4 seconds. Italy's Francesco Fortunato and Valentina Trapletti triumphed in 2:56:45.

Kawano, the men's 35-km race walk bronze medalist at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, and Umeno finished 27th in 3:07:28.

Based on the overall race results (and as a nation that placed among the top-five finishers), Japan qualified to send two teams to France for the inaugural Olympic mixed relay competition.

"I was happy that Team Japan was able to clear the two slots as a whole, as I had set a goal of two slots," Ikeda was quoted as saying by Sports Nippon on April 23 after arriving at Narita Airport.

A Desire to Compete in Race Walking

Ikeda told reporters at the airport that he's eager to participate in both the mixed team event and the men's individual 20-km race at the Paris Olympics.

Noting that there's a short period between the two events (August 1 for the men's race and August 7 for the marathon mixed relay), Ikeda emphasized that physical fitness will be a key factor for him.

"The men's team is very well-trained, so I am very encouraged," Ikeda said, according to Sports Nippon.

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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.