Japan Athletics Championships (28th, Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata)
Women’s 1500m winner: Nozomi Tanaka (New Balance, 4 minutes 1.44 seconds)
The bell signaling the last lap was the signal for Nozomi Tanaka to pry open the door to Paris on her own. She made a sprint on the final straight, breaking the participation standard (4 minutes 2.50 seconds) and earning an Olympic ticket in this event.
While many strong athletes who had already broken the qualifying standard for the Paris Olympics were absent from this tournament, Tanaka, who had been selected for the 5,000m national team, was using the event as a chance to make adjustments. He plans to run up to five races in three events over four days, including the 1,500m final, but this tough challenge had a long-term goal in mind.
The 1500 meters was the foundation of Tanaka’s success. He made his debut as a Japanese athlete at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and achieved the feat of finishing in eighth place.
Tanaka turned professional in 2011 with the sponsorship of sports equipment manufacturer New Balance, and held repeated training camps in Kenya. Taking advantage of the favorable environment, which he said he was “getting better practice than I had at the Tokyo Olympics,” he also emerged as a star in the 5,000 meters. In the same year, he placed 8th at the World Championships in Budapest, the first Japanese athlete to do so in 26 years.
However, after the Tokyo Olympics, he was unable to achieve the results he wanted in the 1500 meters. He was eliminated in the semifinals of the World Championships in 2022 and 2023. He has not been able to beat the Japanese record (3 minutes 59.19 seconds) he set at the Tokyo Olympics for three years. He has not been able to run as well as he would like in the final stages of the race.
How can we clear the haze in our minds?
“I feel like I can break four minutes again, but somehow my attention is distracted… I haven’t gotten into the ‘zone’ where I can concentrate yet. I feel like I’m hitting an invisible wall.”
The conclusion he came to was simple: “The only thing I can do is gain experience by setting good times and winning races.”
In order to break out of his current situation, he has decided to compete in three events, the 1500m and 5000m, in addition to the 800m, which he competed in less last season. The fact that the finals of each event are scheduled at different times also encouraged him to take on the challenge. His father, coach Katsutoshi, said, “I want him to have the toughness to aim for a triple crown by including the 800m. I want him to approach the Olympics with the confidence he has gained from the Japan Championships.”
According to Takechi, the three years since the Tokyo Olympics have been like “training.”
With his training coming to fruition, Tanaka said, “I beat the (participation standard) within the deadline, so I can confidently go (to Paris).” He felt confident of achieving a good result on the big stage.