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

Ko Ochiai
Born in Shiga Prefecture in 2006. Men’s 800m Japanese record holder (1:44.80)

He seriously started track and field in junior high school, and went to Shiga Gakuen High School, an ekiden powerhouse. In June 2024, when he was in his third year of high school, he won his first title in the men’s 800m at the Japan Championships and set a new Japanese record of 1:44.80 at the Inter-High School Championships in July. He also won a bronze medal at the U-20 World Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru in August.
In April 2025, he enrolled in Komazawa University and joined the “Ggoat” athlete project launched last year by Hiroaki Oyagi, the General Manager of the track and field team. At the Japan Student Individual Championships, he set a new meet record of 1:45.88, followed by a new student record of 1:45.16 at the Shizuoka International Championships (second in history after his own Japanese record).
In the Japan men’s middle-distance world which continues to struggle, there are high expectations for him as a rising star who can compete with the world.

 

From the summer when he even took a break from running to an “unexpected” new Japanese record

――You have set a time of 1:44.80, breaking the Japanese record (1:45.75) at the time by about a second at the Inter-High School Championships in July 2024,. The vivid new record setting in Japan is still fresh in my memory. What kind of conditions were you in that race?

To be honest, at that time, I didn’t think I would be able to break the Japanese record at all. The Inter-High School Championships were on the line for the second time in a row, so I had a strong desire to achieve that. But when it comes to the record, it’s the race that achieved it. I came out on my own at the front and it was a fast-paced battle from the beginning. From there, I felt even more like “I can’t lose.” In the end, it was a battle against the international exchange students, and that competition improved my time. It was a very fortunate race.

――So the race really brought out the record. On the other hand, at the Japan Championships just before the Inter-High School Championships, you were very disappointed because you did not reach the qualification standards for the Paris 2024 Olympics. You didn’t use that frustration as a springboard to aim for the Inter-High School Championships?

The Japan Championship was a very big stage for me as a high school student. There was a lot of pressure before the match, and I felt a lot of fatigue after the match. I didn’t run at all for a week or two after it was over…. Even Toru Okawa, the coach of my high school’s track and field team, told me that I could miss the Inter-High School Championships without overdoing it. However, I still had a desire to win the title for the second time in a row, so I told him that I wanted to participate. From there, I changed my mindset and made adjustments in two to three weeks before the match. I was like that, so the Japanese record really wasn’t in my mind at all.

――So it was a good run under such circumstances. Even though it was an unexpected record break, did you notice any changes in your mindset before and after that?

I didn’t feel like my mindset had changed dramatically, but I was still happy. I was able to win the title for the second time in a row and break the Japanese record. Until then, I had always set my sights on participating in the Olympics, and I had been practicing perfectly for the Japan Championships. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t reach my goal. However, one month later, I was able to break the Japanese record, and I was convinced that what I had been doing was not wrong, which gave me a lot of confidence. I was really happy from the bottom of my heart.

 

The only middle-distance runner in a prestigious long-distance event

――I heard that you narrowed down your specialty to 800m in junior high school, but what was the reason for choosing it in the first place?

I’ve always liked both short and long distances. When I was in the upper grades of elementary school, I did a triathlon, so I used to run long distances. When I became a junior high school student, I competed not only in the 800m and 1500m middle distances, but also in Ekiden and 4×100m relays, so I was confident in my endurance and sprints.
When I decided to aim for the All-Japan junior high school track and field championship, I consulted with my advisor and came to the conclusion that the 800m would be the best way to make the most of my sprinting and endurance skills in a well-balanced manner. Especially when I was in junior high school, my sprinting ability was improving, so I thought to myself, “If I want to aim for the national level, I should go for the 800m.” From there, I started to focus on 800m.

――You were able to run from short distances to Ekiden! Why did you enroll to Shiga Gakuen High School, which is an Ekiden powerhouse?

By the time I graduated from junior high school, I thought, “I want to do my best in Ekiden.” That’s why I had a strong desire to run on the Todaiji (National High School Ekiden), so I applied for Shiga Gakuen. At Shiga Gakuen, there were many seniors who were active in high school Ekiden, including Kaisei Yasuhara (currently a third-year student at Komazawa University), so I thought, “I want to practice with these people.” My wish came true, and I was able to run in the 2nd district of Todaiji in my first year, and in parallel with my Ekiden training, I participated in many 800m competitions.

――After graduating from Shiga Gakuen, you entered Komazawa University in April of this year. What made you decide to enter this university?

In my third year of high school, my 800m time improved steadily, and the main reason for this was that I had a strong desire to compete on the world stage. At that time, my coach Toru Taiga told me, “If you want to aim for the world, the best thing to do is to learn from Hiroaki Oyagi, General Manager of Komazawa University Track and Field Club.”
It was a great honor to be able to train with Ggoat, and some of them had already competed in the world championships, so I wanted to put myself in an environment where I was aiming for the world’s heights and learning a lot of things. That’s why my coach Toru Taiga asked General Manager Hiroaki Oyagi to raise me into a top-level athlete in Japan.

――Speaking of Komazawa University, we think of it as an Ekiden and long-distance powerhouse. Were you worried about entering there alone as an 800m specialist?

My high school was also an Ekiden powerhouse, and while many of the athletes specialized in long-distance racing, I was the only one who mainly competed in the 800m. I was instructed by my coach Toru Taiga in such an environment, so the environment at Komazawa University actually didn’t change that much. So I didn’t feel anxious or confused at all.

――Do you have any regrets about not running in the Ekiden again (laughs)?

No, I’m still interested in it (laughs). However, I thought it would be tough to run the distance of Hakone and national championships while specializing in 800m…. That’s why I now have a stronger desire to “support” than “participate.”
In the future, I would like to compete in the 1500m in addition to the 800m. However, the 1500m requires a lot of stamina, so I still haven’t practiced enough, and to be honest, I’m not at the level where I can compete. I would like to train hard in this highly privileged environment.

 

The days of one-on-one with the General Manager famous for saying “Be a man!”

――It’s been about three months since you entered Komazawa University, how is your practice at Ggoat compared to when you were in high school?

I’ve just joined the school, so the amount of training hasn’t changed that much from when I was in high school. However, I feel that the quality of high-intensity training has definitely improved. The set times for the 400m and 600m have increased by 2-3 seconds, and the training program is more specialized for speed, so I feel the difference in intensity.

――I heard that you are practicing by yourself under the guidance of General Manager Hiroaki Oyagi. I’m sorry for the amateur question, but isn’t it lonely to practice alone…?

I do the training with everyone in the track and field club, but after that, I basically practice alone according to the training menu that the General Manager has planned. When running a long distance, such as a pace run, the coach might run alongside me. I’ve been practicing by myself most of the time since I was in high school, so to be honest, I haven’t really felt that it was hard.
But the other day, one of my seniors was going to compete in a 1500m race, so I did speed training together. At that time, I felt like I was having more fun running than when I was running alone (laughs). To be honest, I had the feeling that it was great to practice with someone.

――Do you get any pep talks from the General Manager during training?

Yes, I get quite a bit (laughs). When I’m running, he reads out the time, and he gives me instructions at the same time. But sometimes it’s too fast to hear. I will have to get used to it quickly!

――I see（laughs）. What kind of person is the General Manager?

Before I entered school, he was just a presence on TV, and from my point of view, he was like an entertainer. After all, I had that harsh image of “Be a man!”, so at first, I was nervous and trembling just talking to him.
But when I actually encountered him, he was really gentle and kind! During and after training, he communicates with me step by step and always pays close attention to my condition, such as my physical condition and the condition of my legs. Of course, there is a tough side, but more than that, he is full of love for the athletes and enthusiasm for track and field.
I’m finally getting used to it, but the other Ggoat members are usually talking frankly, and I’m watching them thinking, “That’s amazing” and “I wonder if I’ll be able to talk like that someday” (laughs).

――It’s been less than three months, but are there any practices or episodes that left an impression on you at Ggoat?

I think it will be the training camp in Albuquerque, USA, that I was taken to in March.

――You hadn’t entered the school yet, right? Suddenly going to an overseas training camp with so many members of Ggoat must have been a valuable experience, but also nerve-wracking?

I was really nervous (laughs). I had only been in the dormitory for about a week, but the General Manager wanted to see how people reacted at high altitude, so he had been telling me to go with him since I was in high school.
It was training at an altitude of about 1900m, and it was my first time at a high altitude. I still don’t have enough stamina, so it was extremely painful and difficult to train with little oxygen.
During training, I was doing a different training menu on my own, but the rest of the time, I was very happy to talk with the Ggoat members and get to know them little by little. It was a really productive three weeks.

 

Positive response in the midst of back-to-back matches

――Since you entered university, you have broken tournament records and student records in the past few months, how do you feel about the response?

I think I was able to run smoothly in my own way starting with the Kanakuri Memorial Middle and Long Distance Invitational Meet until the Japan Student Individual Championships and the Shizuoka International. In particular, in the 800m at Shizuoka International on May 3, I was able to run 1:45.16 (the second fastest time in Japanese history), which gave me confidence.

――In the midst of all this, the final of the Asian Championships at the end of May must have been a frustrating race.

Yes, it was. I was able to run with the momentum when I entered the Shizuoka International, but the Asian Championships ended up being a result of “I messed up…” About two months into my university life, I may have started to feel tired from classes, daily life, and training in a way that I didn’t even notice. Looking back, I could have done more, and it was a frustrating race, but I also feel that it can’t be helped. This was also an opportunity to make the most of it as an experience for the next time, and to brace myself again.

――Do you get over quickly ?

Well…, I don’t know. Sometimes I get depressed, but I think I’m the type of person who can get over it without dragging it out, maybe (laughs).

――By the way, why did you participate in the 1500m at the Kanakuri Memorial Middle and Long Distance Invitational Meet?

When I was in high school, the General Manager suggested that I should participate in the 1500m. He said that it is important to be strong in both events (400m and 1500m) in the 800m, and I myself agreed with that idea. That’s why I wanted to actively challenge myself in the 1500m, so I competed in the 1500m at the Kanakuri Memorial Middle and Long Distance Invitational Meet?.

――So it was part of the 800m build-up.

Yes. After all, my immediate goal is to achieve a time as close as possible to the World Athletics qualification standard record of 1:44.50. But to be honest, if I don’t achieve that, I think it’s going to be difficult for us to really compete with overseas athletes.

 

“Strategy and bargaining” packed into just two laps

――Seeing your success, more and more people are paying attention to the 800m. What are the highlights of the race?

It’s important to get into the first position, but the “real peak” that determines whether you win or lose is the final sprint.

――When do you start that final sprint?

That’s the hard part. It depends on the race, but it’s usually the last 100m or 150m…. If you start a final sprint at about 200m earlier than that, there is a risk of stalling. However, if you dare to start from 200 meters, there is a pattern that the opponent will get tired and move away. It’s really a bargain.

――There is such a bargaining strategy in the final sprint, isn’t it?

There are so many of them. Athletes who are confident in their final sprints deliberately go around at a slow pace on the first lap and then rush to the front in the last 200 meters. It’s two laps of the track, but it’s packed with strategies. I think that’s the most interesting part of the 800m.

――While bargaining, you judge how the race will go by watching the movements of the athletes around you, right?

Right. However, in my case, when I race overseas, I often decide from the beginning that I will run at a high pace for the first lap. In national races, I’m confident in my final sprint, but I still can’t beat oversea athletes with strong sprint skills.

――In the 800m, there is a lot of contact between athletes, and I think Japanese athletes are at a disadvantage in terms of physique. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the presence of overseas athletes?

Overseas athletes are tall and have a good physique, so it can certainly be overwhelming at times. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m not going to get any bigger than now, and I have to make the most of my body and compete. Because of their size, there must be some areas where they are inferior. Identify that area and figure out how to leverage my strengths. I think that’s the key to be successful.

――What are your strengths?

One is that I can make the lead by entering the first lap at a high pace. The other thing is that I can get over quickly in the second half of the 200m to 150m and make a final stretch at the end. I’m confident in these two strengths. I still need to strengthen it even more, but I would be happy if you could pay attention to it.

――Do you get nervous before the race？

I don’t get nervous at all (laughs). I mean, I don’t look at the athletes around me, I just go into my own world. I’m simulating the race over and over in my head, and I’m taking a deep breath the whole time.

――General Manager Hiroaki Oyagi also said, “There is still a difference between the overseas athletes in the final sprint for the middle and long distance.” What kind of training do you need to do to close the gap?

After daily jogging and high-intensity training, I think it is important to run another 150m or 200m at a certain speed. I’ve just joined Ggoat and I don’t have that much room in my training. My most recent challenge is to build my stamina so that I can do such additional training with plenty of time.

 

From Tokyo to Los Angeles ──“Future map” he envisions

――If you win the right to represent Japan at the World Athletics Championships, how will you spend the next two months or so until September while making adjustments?

At the moment, I am planning to go to the FISU World University Games in about two weeks after the Japan Championships, and then have a training camp in St. Moritz, Switzerland during the summer vacation. I did some high-altitude training in Albuquerque in April, and I got a good feel for the races that followed. I’d like to finish well in St. Moritz and go into the World Athletics Championships in the best possible way.

――What are your goals for competing at the World Athletics Championships?

Of course, I don’t want to end up just “participating”. I want to make it a race that I can compete in. Of course, I want to compete in the final, but first I want to run so that I can make it to the semi-finals. I think it’s tough if we don’t aim for the low 1:44 to 43 second range, so that’s one of the standards that I set.

――Do you have a roadmap for the future?

At the moment, I am looking forward to qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This year the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, the Asian Games in Nagoya next year, and the World Athletics Championships in Beijing the following year. I want to be an athlete who can do well in each and every match of these major tournaments and compete for a medal in Los Angeles. To that end, I would like to leave my mark at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships.

――Please tell us if there are any athletes you admire or aim for.

After all, when you think of the 800m legend, you think of world record holder David Lekta Rudisha (Kenya). His running is amazing. The top athletes at the moment are Marco Arop (Canada) and Emmanuel Wanyon-yi (Kenya), so I want to be able to run as close as possible to them.
Then there’s the 1500m, and I admire Josh Carr (Great Britain). In fact, I was able to meet him at the Albuquerque training camp the other day! I involuntarily screamed in my heart, “It is really him…!” (laughs) The atmosphere of an athlete winning a medal on the world stage was different. I want to be an athlete with that kind of presence.

 

“Panic every day (laughs)” Elementary school days full of lessons

――From here, I would like to ask you about your private life. What were you like as a child?

My hometown is Takashima City in Shiga Prefecture, which is rich in nature, and I was a child who was always running around in the mountains and rivers. I did a lot of lessons, and I started gymnastics when I was in nursery school, and I started swimming before I entered elementary school. The coach of the swimming class started triathlon, and I started to take on the challenge. I also learned skiing and calligraphy, and when I was in elementary school, I spent every day just taking lessons. My head was going to explode every day (laughs).

――You must have been a very busy elementary school student! Did you want to start the lessons?

No, I was completely pushed by my parents for swimming lessons (laughs). I was influenced by my brother for calligraphy and influenced by my father for skiing. I feel like I naturally started gymnastics. There are so many that I don’t remember much (laughs).

――You have a variety of impressions, but what kind of person do people say you are?

This time, when I asked my classmates in the track and field club, they said that I was “sharp” and “cute” (laughs). I’m not conscious of my sharpness at all, but I’m often told that my eyes change when I enter the track. As for “cute”, well, I don’t really know (laughs).

――（laughs）How would you describe your personality?

I think it would be “Tenacious”. I’m the type of person who always wants to follow through on what I set out to do. I am the person who works hard until I achieve my goals.

――Aside from track and field, please tell us if there are any other things that you have been into lately.

Well, I don’t have a lot of things that I’m into. That’s what I hope I can find in Tokyo. If I had to say it, I like saunas and taking a baths, so on my days off, I go to nearby hot springs. So far, that’s the most healing thing.

 

First year university student. What he desperately wants now is…

――Do you have any athletes that you are close with?

It is Keita Sato, who is a member of Ggoat. He is the closest in age among the Ggoat members, but he listens to me a lot. He’s like a big brother that I can rely on.

――Please tell us three things you like about Keita Sato!

Well let me see…（laughs）.
First of all, he is very kind and caring. Keita Sato and I are from the same Kansai region, but he has been very considerate of me since I came here. Even in Albuquerque, he always cared about me by saying “How was the training?” and “How are you feeling?”
And he has a very dynamic style of running. It’s cool to use your whole body and move forward dynamically. I long to be able to run like Keita Sato.
The other thing is how he approaches the competition. He takes supplements without fail, and competition is always a top priority in his daily life. I really admire his attitude.

――He must be a reliable senior to you. Since you are a first-year university student, isn’t it difficult to balance classes with competitions?

It’s really hard. I mean, it’s really bad right now (laughs). I’m in the Faculty of Economics, but sometimes when I’m listening to a class, I’m like, “What are you talking about?” and there are moments when I can’t keep up.

――I heard that the seniors at Ggoat finish their credits in their three years and participate in overseas training camps, but is that what you are aiming for ?

Yes, the Los Angeles Olympics are coming up when I’m in my fourth year, so I’d like to get all my credits by then and concentrate on the competition, but to be honest, that’s the biggest pressure right now (bitter laughs).
My seniors give me advice to rely on my friends in such cases, but I don’t have that many close friends in the same department yet.

――Are you a shy person?

I’m a little nervous at first. I’m not an aggressive type of person, so I can’t help but be prepared. So, may I ask you one thing here?

――Of course！

First-year students of the Faculty of Economics at Komazawa University!
If you’re reading this, please be friends with me! Let’s get credits together! Thank you in advance!!

――I hope you will make a lot of friends (laughs). Finally, do you have a message for readers who are looking forward to the World Athletics Championships?

Since it will be held in Tokyo, I think it will be a tournament that people all over Japan will pay attention to. If I am able to compete, I would like to run to give courage to the spectators, with gratitude to everyone who has always supported me and those who have supported me. Thank you for your enthusiastic support! Also, I am waiting for those who would become my friend! (laughs)

Instagram：@ochiaikou

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text by Hiromi Hiraki
photographs by Uta Mukuo