Skip to main content

Takaoka Nominated for JOC Overseas Training Study Position

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20100215134.html

translated by Brett Larner

On Feb. 15 the Japan Olympic Committee announced that Rikuren has nominated men's marathon national record holder Toshinari Takaoka, 39, to a special position researching overseas training methods. Takaoka, who retired last March and is now a coach with Team Kanebo, must undergo a round of interviews with the JOC before being named to the position. According to a person involved in the proceedings, if Takaoka is accepted he will be sent to the United States to study American altitude training and coaching methods.

Comments

Brett Larner said…
Takaoka has the Japanese marathon record of 2:06:16 and ran under 2:08 on three other occasions. He also holds the 3000 m and 10000 m national records and at point held the 5000 m record. He attributed his success in the marathon to spending years working on his track speed before moving up, something largely missing in Japan. I think it is pretty likely he'll be looking largely at American success over 5000 m and, to a lesser degree, 10000 m.
Macario said…
Hello, The Japan Olympic Committee and Toshinari Takaoka, may want to consider Silver City, NM USA ( 6,000 ft alt., foothills of the Gila Ntl. Forest, and ideal training weather). I coach at the local university and I am in contact with the Dr. that is in charge of the exercise physiology lab at the university. We would be supportive if the research would be done in Silver City.
Simon Phillips said…
Brett, what do you think Takaoka could learn from US coaching methods? Would you say there is a general consensus / mood amongst Japan's distance coaches that new methods need to be incorporated to work their way out of the current malaise?
Brett Larner said…
Simon--
I think the interview with Takaoka that I put up today suggests answers to your questions.
Brett Larner said…
The agent who represented Takaoka in his professional career, Brendan Reilly, can also be reached here:

http://www.boulderwave.com/Site/Contact_Us.html

Many traditional Japanese arts are taught through observation of the master rather than direct instruction by the master. No need for anyone to spill their beans for Takaoka to learn from them.

Most-Read This Week

Japan's Olympic Marathon Team Meets the Press

With renewed confidence, Japan's Olympic marathon team will face the total 438 m elevation difference hills of Paris this summer. The members of the women's and men's marathon teams for August's Paris Olympics appeared at a press conference in Tokyo on Mar. 25 in conjunction with the Japan Marathon Championship Series III (JMC) awards gala. Women's Olympic trials winner Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) said she was riding a wave of motivation in the wake of the new women's national record. When she watched Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) set the record at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon on TV, Suzuki said she was, "absolutely stunned." Her coach Sachiko Yamashita told her afterward, "When someone breaks the NR, things change," and Suzuki found herself saying, "I want to take my shot." After training for a great run in Paris, she said, "I definitely want to break the NR in one of my marathons after that." Mao

Weekend Racing Roundup

  China saw a new men's national record of 2:06:57 from  Jie He  at the Wuxi Marathon Sunday, but in Japan it was a relatively quiet weekend with mostly cold and rainy amateur-level marathons across the country. At the Tokushima Marathon , club runner Yuhi Yamashita  won the men's race by almost 4 1/2 minutes in 2:17:02, the fastest Japanese men's time of the weekend, but oddly took 22 seconds to get across the starting line. The women's race saw a close finish between the top two, with Shiho Iwane  winning in 2:49:33 over Ayaka Furukawa , 2nd in 2:49:46.  At the 41st edition of the Sakura Marathon in Chiba, Yukie Matsumura  (Comodi Iida) ran the fastest Japanese women's time of the weekend, 2:42:45, to take the win. Club runner Yuki Kuroda  won the men's race in 2:20:08.  Chika Yokota  won the Saga Sakura Marathon women's race in 2:49:33.  Yuki Yamada  won the men's race in 2:21:47 after taking the lead in the final 2 km.  Naoki Inoue  won the 16th r

Sprinter Shoji Tomihisa Retires From Athletics at 105

A retirement ceremony for local masters track and field legend Shoji Tomihisa , 105, was held May 13 at his usual training ground at Miyoshi Sports Park Field in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. Tomihisa began competing in athletics at age 97, setting a Japanese national record 16.98 for 60 m in the men's 100~104 age group at the 2017 Chugoku Masters Track and Field meet. Last year Tomihisa was the oldest person in Hiroshima selected to run as a torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the relay on public roads was canceled, and while he did take part in related ceremonies his run was ultimately canceled. Tomihisa recently took up the shot put, but in light of his fading physical strength he made the decision to retire from competition. Around 30 members of the Shoji Tomihisa Booster Club attended the retirement ceremony. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from them Tomihisa in turn gave them a colored paper placard on which he had written the characters