Japanese race walker Hayato Katsuki in Nomi (© Organisers)
The overall winner of the 35km at the All-Japan Race Walking Championships - part of the World Athletics Race Walking Tour - in Nomi on Sunday (16) was a big surprise.
At 34, Hayato Katsuki produced the race of his life to win handsomely in 2:24:38, earning a place on Japan’s team for the World Championships on home soil in September.
Katsuki struggled at one point on the sodden course where it rained from start to finish, but was left beaming over the last one-kilometre circuit when victory was assured. At 31km, he made a break and never looked back to finish with a massive PB by almost two minutes.
Australia's Olivia Sandery took the women's 35km title in an Oceanian record of 2:42:40, while Yukiko Umeno was the leading Japanese finisher in 2:46:52.
World Championship berths were on offer for Japanese race walkers in the 35km, as well as another chance to qualify at the shorter 20km in a second group of races. Any Japanese race walker wanting a place on the team in the 35km had to finish inside 2:26:00 (men) and 2:45 (women).
Factor in the Asian Championships; the open race, the All Japan Race Walking title, plus additional 10km races, and there was enough silverware on the presentation table to make it groan.
There was also a healthy showing from other countries, particularly Australia, whose athletes were likewise hoping to make an impression on selectors.
The 35km field had the course all to themselves following an 8am start on a grim morning of steady rain and temperatures of 7C.
A group of seven hit the first kilometre in 4:15 including all the main Japanese contenders and Australians Rhydian Cowley and Tim Fraser alongside Mexico’s Noel Chama.
They reached 5km in a little over 21 minutes, by which time they were already lapping women who started at the same time.
That group of seven were trailed by another seven just a few metres behind. They quickly closed the gap only to find the original seven plus two forging another small gap.
Andres Nunez from Mexico had joined the throng wearing ear warmers to underline the damp conditions. As quickly as the biggish group came, it went.
Another injection of pace whittled the leaders to six at 10km, including pre-race favourite Satoshi Maruo, Kazuki Takahashi, Katsuki, Tomohiro Noda, Nunez and Cowley in 41:32; the second group had lost 13 seconds.
The same six appeared joined at the hip for the next 5km to make a 15km split of 1:01:58. Any other contender was by now too far back to make a difference.
The next major change came on lap 18 with Katsuki and Cowley forced to give way, but in the case of the Japanese, only for a 1km lap. Katsuki sprinted to join the other four. It was 1:22:11 at 20km, and this time Noda found himself detached.
With 13km to go, Maruo had clearly held off long enough and set off for home. Katsuki was having none of it, and quickly closed the gap with Nunez also giving chase. In fact, it was Takahashi who became the casualty.
Cowley, struggling on his own 25 metres off the back, seemed to find the rain a welcome refreshment as he worked his way back to the front a little after 25km timed at 1:42:32 for the leaders. This time it looked as if the Australian and Katskuki meant business.
There was also daylight between Maruo and Nunez with 2:03:15 for the two in front at 30km with an eight-second gap to third and fourth. However, that effort by Cowley had taken its toll.
Katsuki made yet another attempt to break through, and this time it really was decisive. Cowley slipped back as the leader soared through and on his own for the last 3km while Nunez got a second wind to record 2:25:08, with Maruo, 2:25:19, overtaking a tired Cowley right at the end.
In the women’s 35km, Australia's Olivia Sandery underlined her potential with an overall win in 2:42:40.
She set the previous Oceanian record in December with 2:45:31, but in Nomi she decimated it in a strong, steady race with a final burst of 23:04 for the last 5km.
In contrast, Colombia’s 2021 Olympic silver medallist Sandra Lorena went for broke at the outset, and paid for it.
Her last two 5km splits (24:05) and (25:38) saw Sandery take advantage. Even so, Lorena's 2:44:17 clocking was still better than her previous 2:46:44 from October.
Among the Japanese contenders, Hitomi Shimoka made a strong impression early on, but Yukiko Umeno drew level at about 13km and went on to finish third overall in 2:46:53; sadly outside her country’s qualification mark. Australia’s Alana Pitcher came through strongly to take fourth, also in a PB.
In the men’s 20km, Yuta Koga prevailed in a speedy 1:18:48 to go with his 1:18:26 in Kobe in February, and 20-year-old Ning Jinlin from China shattered her PB by close to three minutes with 1:30:03 for the overall win.
Paul Warburton for World Athletics
