At the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, Haruka Kitaguchi Returns to Winning Form

Japan Forward

19-05-2025

Reporting on track and field's Seiko Golden Grand Prix, Oliver Rowland's success in Formula E's Tokyo E-Prix races and the Japan Rugby League One playoffs.
Haruka Kitaguchi competes in the women's javelin event at the 2025 Seiko Golden Grand Prix on May 18 at Tokyo's National Stadium. (©SANKEI)
Haruka Kitaguchi dominated the proceedings to win the women's javelin competition at the 2025 Seiko Golden Grand Prix at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday, May 18.
The reigning Olympic and world champion topped the chart with the day's best throw (64.16 meters). It was also her best throw of the year.
Also for Japan, Momone Ueda was the runner-up in the women's javelin (60.66) in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet.
Kitaguchi, 27, began her 2025 season with a fourth-place finish (60.88) in Shaoxing, China, in a Diamond League meet on May 3.
After a better result in her second competition of 2025 on Sunday, Kitaguchi provided insights on her performance.
"I don't think it was perfect, but it was a relief that I was able to throw it," Kitaguchi was quoted as saying by Daily Sports. "It gave me confidence."
Analyzing her performances in China and in Tokyo, she added: "It's not perfect, but I'm getting closer little by little."
The 2025 World Athletics Championships (September 13-21) will be held at the same stadium. Ryuji Miura in action during the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase at National Stadium. Miura won the race. (©SANKEI)
In another notable performance on Sunday in the Japanese capital, Australia's Georgia Griffith set a meet record in the women's 1,500 meters in 4 minutes, 1.10 seconds. Fellow Aussies Rose Davies and Jude Thomas established Seiko Golden Grand Prix records in the women's and men's 3,000, respectively, in 8:43.38 and 7:39.69.
Also Sunday, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the reigning Olympic and world champion, was victorious in the women's high jump (1.96 meters).
And in a race that generated lively applause from the home crowd, two-time Olympian Ryuji Miura, a Shimane Prefecture native, won the men's 3,000 steeplechase in 8:18.96. Milkesa Fikadu of Ethiopia was the runner-up (8:20.10).
Complete meet results are posted on the World Athletics website. Nissan Formula E Team's Oliver Rowland leads the pack in the Tokyo E-Prix on May 18 at the Tokyo Street Circuit. (©SANKEI)
Oliver Rowland won Round 9 of the FIA Formula E World Championship at the Tokyo Street Circuit on Sunday, May 18.
Rowland's Tokyo E-Prix triumph was his fourth victory of the 2024-25 season.
The Nissan driver entered the electric car race in pole position (out of 21 participants), having earned the spot due to his impressive performance in Saturday's free practice. (Qualifying was canceled due to rain.)
A day earlier, in Round 8, the first of two Tokyo E-Prix events, Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne of Maserati MSG Racing was the winner. Vandoorne started 14th on the grid and held off runner-up Rowland by 8-plus seconds.
Looking back at the two Tokyo races, Rowland was in an upbeat mood.
"I'm thrilled to have had such a strong weekend in front of our home fans here in Japan," Rowland told reporters. "The car felt great throughout and the team did a brilliant job."
Rowland added, "Yesterday we were unlucky not to win the race, a driver from further down the order took a risk on Pit Boost (the battery-charging pit stop), which paid off really well, but second is still a good haul of points. Winning today with all this local support was an amazing feeling."
Nissan's Norman Nato finished 15th in Saturday's race. He was 17th in the weekend's second event. Tokyo E-Prix winner Oliver Rowland on May 18. (Nissan Formula E Team)
After Round 9, Rowland is first in drivers' championship standings (161 points), followed by TAG Heuer Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein (66).
And with Rowland leading the way, the Nissan Formula E Team is No 1 in the drivers' championship standings with 161 points and first in the manufacturers' championship standings (256). Porsche is No 2 in both.
The 16-race season is scheduled to wrap up on July 27 in London. Rounds 10 and 11 are set for May 31 and June 1 in Shanghai. Tokyo Formula E Sparks Hope at Wobbling Nissan Seungsin Lee of the Kobelco Kobe Steelers scores a try in the fifth minute against the Shizuoka BlueRevs in the Japan Rugby League One quarterfinals on May 17 in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. (©SANKEI)
The Kobelco Kobe Steelers defeated the Shizuoka BlueRevs 35-20 in a Japan Rugby League One playoff quarterfinal match on Saturday, May 17 in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture.
With a berth in the semifinals up for grabs, the Steelers took a 17-10 lead into the intermission at Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
A day later, at the same venue, the Kubota Spears earned a 20-15 win over Tokyo Sungoliath in another quarterfinal showdown. Kubota clung to a 3-0 lead entering the second half.
The League One semifinal matchups are now set. On May 24, reigning champion Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and Kobelco square off at Tokyo's Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground. Kickoff is 2:05 PM. Then, on May 25, it's the Saitama Wild Knights vs Kubota at the same stadium, starting at 2:30.
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 .