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▼ ATHLETICS - Japan Sprints to Glory With Revamped Baton Pass
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RIO DE JANEIRO — Japan’s stunning silver medal in the men’s 4x100-meter relay on Friday, run in a new Asian record time of 37.60 seconds, was achieved without the benefit of runners who can cover each section in under 10 seconds.
Coach Shunji Karube said proudly: “Our technique brought us the medal. I believe our baton passing is the best in the world.” Second runner Shota Iizuka passed the baton to Yoshihide Kiryu in the final with perfect timing. Kiryu said: “We can’t imagine making a mistake. I received the baton in the best position.”
Kiryu soon accelerated to his top speed and passed the baton to anchor Aska Cambridge smoothly. The team improved on its time in its qualifying heat by 0.08 seconds, setting an Asian record.
The Japanese team was just 0.33 seconds behind Jamaica, which secured its third straight gold in the event. Legendary Jamaican anchor Usain Bolt was impressed with their fluid baton passing.
In 2001, the Japanese team introduced an underhand passing technique, in which the runner in front receives the baton with his palm facing downward. This allowed him to easily accelerate as he smoothly received the baton at waist level.
The Japanese team took the bronze medal at the Beijing Games in 2008 by applying this method.
Other countries soon caught on and combined the technique with their running skills. Japan was particularly shocked by China’s winning performance at the Asian Games in 2014, where it became the first Asian team to finish in less than 38 seconds.
Karube thought at that time, “We can’t win without taking action.”
That year Karube became the director in charge of the men’s short track division at the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, and he introduced an idea he had been thinking about for years: a reformed underhand baton pass.
The idea was for runners to pass and receive the baton with their elbow raised, not at waist height. This reduces the distance each athlete must run. The technique also retains the advantage of easy acceleration. The JAAF analyzed past data and found it was faster to pass the baton in the middle of the designated takeover zone than at the end of the zone.
The exception was the pass from the first runner to the second, in which case the area right after the zone’s middle was the optimum point.
The team held training camps in spring and summer this season, aiming to perfect their technique.
Iizuka said, “We set the record this time with our baton passing technique. We feel we’ve gained some respect from other countries with good records.”
The silver medal is a symbol of Japan’s technique, for which the nation has gained an international reputation.
Coach Shunji Karube said proudly: “Our technique brought us the medal. I believe our baton passing is the best in the world.” Second runner Shota Iizuka passed the baton to Yoshihide Kiryu in the final with perfect timing. Kiryu said: “We can’t imagine making a mistake. I received the baton in the best position.”
Kiryu soon accelerated to his top speed and passed the baton to anchor Aska Cambridge smoothly. The team improved on its time in its qualifying heat by 0.08 seconds, setting an Asian record.
The Japanese team was just 0.33 seconds behind Jamaica, which secured its third straight gold in the event. Legendary Jamaican anchor Usain Bolt was impressed with their fluid baton passing.
In 2001, the Japanese team introduced an underhand passing technique, in which the runner in front receives the baton with his palm facing downward. This allowed him to easily accelerate as he smoothly received the baton at waist level.
The Japanese team took the bronze medal at the Beijing Games in 2008 by applying this method.
Other countries soon caught on and combined the technique with their running skills. Japan was particularly shocked by China’s winning performance at the Asian Games in 2014, where it became the first Asian team to finish in less than 38 seconds.
Karube thought at that time, “We can’t win without taking action.”
That year Karube became the director in charge of the men’s short track division at the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, and he introduced an idea he had been thinking about for years: a reformed underhand baton pass.
The idea was for runners to pass and receive the baton with their elbow raised, not at waist height. This reduces the distance each athlete must run. The technique also retains the advantage of easy acceleration. The JAAF analyzed past data and found it was faster to pass the baton in the middle of the designated takeover zone than at the end of the zone.
The exception was the pass from the first runner to the second, in which case the area right after the zone’s middle was the optimum point.
The team held training camps in spring and summer this season, aiming to perfect their technique.
Iizuka said, “We set the record this time with our baton passing technique. We feel we’ve gained some respect from other countries with good records.”
The silver medal is a symbol of Japan’s technique, for which the nation has gained an international reputation.
- August 22, 2016
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