ATHLETE

Meet the Athletes

Get to know the participating world-class athletes, and discover what makes each one of them superhuman.

Athletics athlete
Deaflympics athlete

Ririka Hironaka

Graduated from Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasaki Commercial High School and has been a member of the Japan Post Group since 2019. She started track and field when she was in junior high school and was active in all junior high schools and Ekiden Championships. She also participated in national competitions in high school, and especially in her third year, contributed greatly to the team's participation in the All-Japan National Ekiden Championships At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she set a new Japanese record in the 5000m at her first world competition and placed 9th (at the time). In the 10,000m, she finished 7th for the first time in 25 years as a Japanese athlete. After that, she ran well in the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022, the second highest in Japanese history, and finished seventh in the 10,000m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest the following year. In the 10,000m at the Japan Championships in April 2025, where she overcame a one-year blank, including the breakdown period, she won her fourth victory in two years and made a grand comeback. She has both stamina and stability and is one of the athletes who is expected to be more active in the long-distance world in the future.

Read article

Tamaki Ito

Deaf Beach Volleyball

Tamaki Ito

She has congenital hearing loss and has been attending a school for the deaf since the third year in elementary school. She graduated from the Tokyo Metropolitan Central School for the Deaf and is currently studying at Daito Bunka University. She started playing indoor volleyball in junior high school and later switched to beach volleyball. Paired with her high school classmate Karin Hori, she consecutively won the All Japan Deaf Beach Volleyball Championship in 2023 and 2024, demonstrating her top-class ability in Japan. She finished 8th in the World Championships and was the runner-up in the International Friendly Tournament in Tanoura and has also achieved good results in international tournaments. She was the runner-up at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics Japan National Team Selection Tournament held in April this year. She will aim to win her first medal as a Japanese at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics which will be the first time to be held in Japan.

Read article

New article

Ririka Hironaka, Track and field athlete｜One year that almost stopped. Another “aggressive running” beyond what she has overcome.

It is only on the big stage of the Olympics and World Athletics Championships that she achieves results. Her racing style to actively move forward without being afraid even in world competitions and showing her tenacity at the end of the race. That represents Ririka Hironaka. However, last year, she was forced to take a long absence from competitive activities due to injury, and she was unable to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics. This season, she is looking ahead to the upcoming World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025. She seemed to have become a little stronger again when she strongly said, "It's because of that time that I am who I am now". What is the journey up until now, and what are her thoughts on the World Championship for the first time in two years?

Masatora Kawano, Track and field athlete | A race walking life that started from the bottom. To the top of the world again with “90% immersion” and “10% bird’s-eye view”

"I am definitely not cut out for this" - Masatora Kawano felt that way when he finished last in his first race walking competition in high school. However, when he was able to advance to the prefectural tournament, his life began to move in a big way. He has experienced World Athletics and the Olympics and set a new world record in October 2024 in the 35km race walk. The man who “started from the bottom” and rose to the top of the world is next looking ahead to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. We asked Masatora Kawano who describes the championships as a “battle stage” about his determination kept under his chest.

Ko Ochiai, Track and field athlete | The current position of his unprecedented challenges that began with the new Japanese record

Inter High School Championship in July 2024. Ko Ochiai, who was a third-year student at Shiga Gakuen High School at the time, set a new Japanese record of 1:44.80 in the men's 800m and made headlines. His impressive run, which was far from that of a high school student, broke the previous record by nearly one second, and had a vivid impact on the whole country.
The middle-distance runner aiming for the world chose the "Ggoat" athlete project for his next stage, led by General Manager Hiroaki Oyagi, who is a great leader in the Ekiden world.
What does the 18-year-old, who has embarked on an unprecedented challenge, feel now, and where is he looking at in the future? He talked about his reasons for entering Komazawa University and his strong desire to devote himself to the world.

Deaf Beach Volleyball Tamaki Ito | Ready to bring it on? Full of smiles? A “Cunning” smile shining on the beach

Beach volleyball with only two people guarding a court that is almost the same size as indoor volleyball. That's why it's also a sport where you have a chance to play an active role regardless of your height or physique. The athlete who jumped into the world of beach volleyball was Tamaki Ito. She started playing indoor volleyball in junior high school and later switched to beach volleyball. When I asked her the reason, I got a unique response from her saying, "Because indoor volleyball had 'too much time to spare'". Whether in an interview or on the court, her carefree expression that changes rapidly and bright smile is impressive. " So, what kind of stage is the Deaflympics for her who says that “I am finally on the starting line”?

Track and field athlete Hiroki Yanagita | Mindless, steady and consistent. The day when the man who cried in 0.005 seconds laughs at the world

Born into a track and field family, running has been a part of his life since childhood. From his blossoming talent, he has grown into one of the top sprinters in Japan and has begun to make his mark on the big stages such as the World Athletics Championships and the Olympics.
Contrary to his cheerful personality from the first impression, he has a calm and solid face who says, "I am a realistic type and do not set outlandish goals." "If I can qualify for the World Athletics Championships, I want to do my best in the semi-finals." When he said this, his unwavering determination and sincere desire for competition were alive in his heart.
We interviewed Hiroki Yanagita, who is taking on the world, about his encounter with track and field, his daily training, and his goals for the future.