Latest news with #Kitaguchi
Straits Times
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Javelin star Haruka Kitaguchi finds new home in small Czech town
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Reigning Olympic and world javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi during a training session in the Athletics tunnel in Domazlice, Czech Republic. DOMAZLICE – Reigning Olympic and world javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi has found a new home in a remote corner of the Czech Republic, a country that is home to several javelin legends. The 27-year-old Japanese is getting ready for next month's world championships in Tokyo in the western Czech town of Domazlice. 'I can concentrate on training here. And the weather is better than in Tokyo which is too hot for me,' Kitaguchi told AFP at the local training centre – on a scorching hot Czech summer day. She ended up in the cosy historic town after teaming up with local coach David Sekerak at a training seminar in Finland in 2018. Former javelin thrower Sekerak knew that she had won the world youth championships in 2015. 'She was a big woman and I could see she had something in her,' he added, hailing her self-discipline. Kitaguchi followed him to the country of three-time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny and two-time Olympic winner Barbora Spotakova. 'When I came for the first time, my coach said, today you can throw with my friend,' Kitaguchi said. 'I went with him, and there was Barbora Spotakova. It was a good experience as she is my idol.' Sekerak has since led her to the 2023 world title and the 2024 Olympic crown, together with two Diamond League titles. Mixing English and Czech, Kitaguchi said she appreciated 'a good balance' in Sekerak's training. 'He also finds a way... for me to throw far. And every competition he stands behind me, supporting me. It's great mental aid,' she added. A lover of Czech beer and heavy meals like goulash or dumplings in cream sauce, Kitaguchi said she had taken Czech lessons during the pandemic. 'But they only taught me to say 'I have a pen'. Nothing I could use in training,' she said, bursting out laughing. Her tinkling laughter can be heard even as she jogs and stretches alongside her Czech training partner Petra Sicakova, the javelin silver medallist from this year's European under-23 championships. 'My mum said when you train hard, it helps to smile. It's good for good training and good results, she said. So I do that,' Kitaguchi said. When she competed at the Paris Olympics, a cafe in Domazlice's sprawling historic square put up a large screen for locals to cheer for their neighbour. A party followed, and city officials staged an official welcome with a local bagpipe band when Kitaguchi and Sekerak returned home. In Domazlice, Kitaguchi lives in a flat in a hotel run by her coach's wife. 'I did a lot of the building work there myself,' said Sekerak, who also owns a printing shop and makes his own javelins, used by his team. Kitaguchi, who has her mother, a physiotherapist and a cook with her now, has her own model called Giant Baby, which is her Instagram nickname. Kitaguchi, whose personal best is 67.38 metres from 2023, said her dream was to beat 70 metres. 'It's my target for my life,' she said. Sekerak said Kitaguchi could even tackle Spotakova's world record of 72.28 metres from 2008. One condition is to drop 'silly thoughts' that got into Kitaguchi's head as she was coping with fame following the two big titles, he added. 'I think we wasted about a year there, but she's OK now. It helps to go for a beer and some good food and ice cream together.' Ahead of the Tokyo championships starting on September 13, Kitaguchi's form is a great unknown – she is ranked sixth worldwide this season with a best of 64.63 metres. She will compete at the Diamond League in Lausanne and Zurich in August and then fine-tune her form in Turkey before leaving for Tokyo. Sekerak said she was safer in Domazlice than in Japan where she has become the face of the championships, featuring on billboards across the country. 'It's crazy,' Kitaguchi chuckled, waving aside her celebrity status. 'I hope I can show the best (in Tokyo) with people cheering (for) me and it's going to be a great memory for me. I'm really looking forward to it.' AFP
Japan Today
a day ago
- Sport
- Japan Today
Javelin star Kitaguchi finds new home in small Czech town
By Jan FLEMR Reigning Olympic and world javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi has found a new home in a remote corner of the Czech Republic, a country that is home to several javelin legends. The 27-year-old Japanese is getting ready for next month's world championships in Tokyo in the western Czech town of Domazlice. "I can concentrate on training here. And the weather is better than in Tokyo which is too hot for me," Kitaguchi told AFP at the local training center -- on a scorching hot Czech summer day. She ended up in the cosy historic town after teaming up with local coach David Sekerak at a training seminar in Finland in 2018. Former javelin thrower Sekerak knew that she had won the world youth championships in 2015. "She was a big woman and I could see she had something in her," he added, hailing her self-discipline. Kitaguchi followed him to the country of three-time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny and two-time Olympic winner Barbora Spotakova. "When I came for the first time, my coach said, today you can throw with my friend," Kitaguchi said. "I went with him, and there was Barbora Spotakova. It was a good experience as she is my idol," Kitaguchi told AFP. Sekerak has since led her to the 2023 world title and the 2024 Olympic crown, together with two Diamond League titles. Mixing English and Czech, Kitaguchi said she appreciated "a good balance" in Sekerak's training. "He also finds a way... for me to throw far. And every competition he stands behind me, supporting me. It's great mental aid," she added. A lover of Czech beer and heavy meals like goulash or dumplings in cream sauce, Kitaguchi said she had taken Czech lessons during the pandemic. "But they only taught me to say 'I have a pen'. Nothing I could use in training," she said, bursting out laughing. Her tinkling laughter can be heard even as she jogs and stretches alongside her Czech training partner Petra Sicakova, the javelin silver medalist from this year's European under-23 championships. "My mum said when you train hard, it helps to smile. It's good for good training and good results, she said. So I do that," Kitaguchi said. When she competed at the Paris Olympics, a cafe in Domazlice's sprawling historic square put up a large screen for locals to cheer for their neighbor. A party followed, and city officials staged an official welcome with a local bagpipe band when Kitaguchi and Sekerak returned home. In Domazlice, Kitaguchi lives in a flat in a hotel run by her coach's wife. "I did a lot of the building work there myself," said Sekerak, who also owns a printing shop and makes his own javelins, used by his team. Kitaguchi, who has her mother, a physiotherapist and a cook with her now, has her own model called Giant Baby, which is her Instagram nickname. Kitaguchi, whose personal best is 67.38 metrers from 2023, said her dream was to beat 70 meters. "It's my target for my life," she said. Sekerak said Kitaguchi could even tackle Spotakova's world record of 72.28 meters from 2008. One condition is to drop "silly thoughts" that got into Kitaguchi's head as she was coping with fame following the two big titles, he added. "I think we wasted about a year there, but she's OK now. It helps to go for a beer and some good food and ice cream together." Ahead of the Tokyo championships starting on September 13, Kitaguchi's form is a great unknown -- she is ranked sixth worldwide this season with a best of 64.63 meters. She will compete at the Diamond League in Lausanne and Zurich in August and then fine-tune her form in Turkey before leaving for Tokyo. Sekerak said she was safer in Domazlice than in Japan where she has become the face of the championships, featuring on billboards across the country. "It's crazy," Kitaguchi chuckled, waving aside her celebrity status. "I hope I can show the best (in Tokyo) with people cheering (for) me and it's going to be a great memory for me. I'm really looking forward to it." © 2025 AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Javelin star Kitaguchi finds new home in small Czech town
DOMAZLICE: Reigning Olympic and world javelin champion Haruka Kitaguchi has found a new home in a remote corner of the Czech Republic, a country that is home to several javelin legends. The 27-year-old Japanese is getting ready for next month's world championships in Tokyo in the western Czech town of Domazlice. 'I can concentrate on training here. And the weather is better than in Tokyo which is too hot for me,' Kitaguchi told AFP at the local training centre - on a scorching hot Czech summer day. She ended up in the cosy historic town after teaming up with local coach David Sekerak at a training seminar in Finland in 2018. Former javelin thrower Sekerak knew that she had won the world youth championships in 2015. 'She was a big woman and I could see she had something in her,' he added, hailing her self-discipline. Kitaguchi followed him to the country of three-time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny and two-time Olympic winner Barbora Spotakova. 'When I came for the first time, my coach said, today you can throw with my friend,' Kitaguchi said. 'I went with him, and there was Barbora Spotakova. It was a good experience as she is my idol,' Kitaguchi told AFP. Sekerak has since led her to the 2023 world title and the 2024 Olympic crown, together with two Diamond League titles. Goulash Mixing English and Czech, Kitaguchi said she appreciated 'a good balance' in Sekerak's training. 'He also finds a way... for me to throw far. And every competition he stands behind me, supporting me. It's great mental aid,' she added. A lover of Czech beer and heavy meals like goulash or dumplings in cream sauce, Kitaguchi said she had taken Czech lessons during the pandemic. 'But they only taught me to say 'I have a pen'. Nothing I could use in training,' she said, bursting out laughing. Her tinkling laughter can be heard even as she jogs and stretches alongside her Czech training partner Petra Sicakova, the javelin silver medallist from this year's European under-23 championships. 'My mum said when you train hard, it helps to smile. It's good for good training and good results, she said. So I do that,' Kitaguchi said. When she competed at the Paris Olympics, a cafe in Domazlice's sprawling historic square put up a large screen for locals to cheer for their neighbour. A party followed, and city officials staged an official welcome with a local bagpipe band when Kitaguchi and Sekerak returned home. In Domazlice, Kitaguchi lives in a flat in a hotel run by her coach's wife. 'I did a lot of the building work there myself,' said Sekerak, who also owns a printing shop and makes his own javelins, used by his team. Kitaguchi, who has her mother, a physiotherapist and a cook with her now, has her own model called Giant Baby, which is her Instagram nickname. 'Silly thoughts' Kitaguchi, whose personal best is 67.38 metres from 2023, said her dream was to beat 70 metres. 'It's my target for my life,' she said. Sekerak said Kitaguchi could even tackle Spotakova's world record of 72.28 metres from 2008. One condition is to drop 'silly thoughts' that got into Kitaguchi's head as she was coping with fame following the two big titles, he added. 'I think we wasted about a year there, but she's OK now. It helps to go for a beer and some good food and ice cream together.' Ahead of the Tokyo championships starting on September 13, Kitaguchi's form is a great unknown - she is ranked sixth worldwide this season with a best of 64.63 metres. She will compete at the Diamond League in Lausanne and Zurich in August and then fine-tune her form in Turkey before leaving for Tokyo. Sekerak said she was safer in Domazlice than in Japan where she has become the face of the championships, featuring on billboards across the country. 'It's crazy,' Kitaguchi chuckled, waving aside her celebrity status. 'I hope I can show the best (in Tokyo) with people cheering (for) me and it's going to be a great memory for me. I'm really looking forward to it.' – AFP
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Javelin star Kitaguchi finds new home in small Czech town
The 27-year-old Japanese is getting ready for next month's world championships in Tokyo in the western Czech town of Domazlice. "I can concentrate on training here. And the weather is better than in Tokyo which is too hot for me," Kitaguchi told AFP at the local training centre -- on a scorching hot Czech summer day. She ended up in the cosy historic town after teaming up with local coach David Sekerak at a training seminar in Finland in 2018. Former javelin thrower Sekerak knew that she had won the world youth championships in 2015. "She was a big woman and I could see she had something in her," he added, hailing her self-discipline. Kitaguchi followed him to the country of three-time Olympic javelin champion Jan Zelezny and two-time Olympic winner Barbora Spotakova. "When I came for the first time, my coach said, today you can throw with my friend," Kitaguchi said. "I went with him, and there was Barbora Spotakova. It was a good experience as she is my idol," Kitaguchi told AFP. Sekerak has since led her to the 2023 world title and the 2024 Olympic crown, together with two Diamond League titles. Beer and goulash Mixing English and Czech, Kitaguchi said she appreciated "a good balance" in Sekerak's training. "He also finds a way... for me to throw far. And every competition he stands behind me, supporting me. It's great mental aid," she added. A lover of Czech beer and heavy meals like goulash or dumplings in cream sauce, Kitaguchi said she had taken Czech lessons during the pandemic. "But they only taught me to say 'I have a pen'. Nothing I could use in training," she said, bursting out laughing. Her tinkling laughter can be heard even as she jogs and stretches alongside her Czech training partner Petra Sicakova, the javelin silver medallist from this year's European under-23 championships. "My mum said when you train hard, it helps to smile. It's good for good training and good results, she said. So I do that," Kitaguchi said. When she competed at the Paris Olympics, a cafe in Domazlice's sprawling historic square put up a large screen for locals to cheer for their neighbour. A party followed, and city officials staged an official welcome with a local bagpipe band when Kitaguchi and Sekerak returned home. In Domazlice, Kitaguchi lives in a flat in a hotel run by her coach's wife. "I did a lot of the building work there myself," said Sekerak, who also owns a printing shop and makes his own javelins, used by his team. Kitaguchi, who has her mother, a physiotherapist and a cook with her now, has her own model called Giant Baby, which is her Instagram nickname. 'Silly thoughts' Kitaguchi, whose personal best is 67.38 metres from 2023, said her dream was to beat 70 metres. "It's my target for my life," she said. Sekerak said Kitaguchi could even tackle Spotakova's world record of 72.28 metres from 2008. One condition is to drop "silly thoughts" that got into Kitaguchi's head as she was coping with fame following the two big titles, he added. "I think we wasted about a year there, but she's OK now. It helps to go for a beer and some good food and ice cream together." Ahead of the Tokyo championships starting on September 13, Kitaguchi's form is a great unknown -- she is ranked sixth worldwide this season with a best of 64.63 metres. She will compete at the Diamond League in Lausanne and Zurich in August and then fine-tune her form in Turkey before leaving for Tokyo. Sekerak said she was safer in Domazlice than in Japan where she has become the face of the championships, featuring on billboards across the country. "It's crazy," Kitaguchi chuckled, waving aside her celebrity status. "I hope I can show the best (in Tokyo) with people cheering (for) me and it's going to be a great memory for me. I'm really looking forward to it." © 2025 AFP
Japan Forward
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Japan Forward
At the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, Haruka Kitaguchi Returns to Winning Form
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 .
