■Berlin Marathon (29th, Berlin, Germany)

At the memorable 50th Berlin Marathon, Yohei Ikeda (26, Kao) set a time of 2 hours, 05 minutes, 12 seconds, the second fastest time in Japan’s history, and finished in 6th place. Ikeda showed a good run, coming within 16 seconds of the Japanese record. He broke the participation standard record (2 hours, 06 minutes, 30 seconds) at the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo next year, and instantly became a contender for the national team.

The Japanese record for the men’s marathon is 2:04:56, set by Kengo Suzuki at the 2021 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon. Ikeda’s previous personal best was 2:06:53, set at the 2023 Osaka Marathon. At this Berlin Marathon, I improved my time by 1 minute and 41 seconds.

■Yohei Ikeda
Born June 22, 1998 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. After graduating from Nippon Sport Science University, he joined Kao in 2021 and is a member of the track and field club. Although it was his first marathon in Osaka Marathon in February 2023, he finished second in Japan with a time of 2:06:53. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October, he placed 6th with a time of 2:15:04.