by Dai Yamazaki
The “international scholar drawback” is all the time a sizzling subject within the ekiden world, and this season will see massive modifications to the principles in highschool ekidens. There has all the time been a whole lot of trial and error on the subject of worldwide college students within the ekidens, however what do the coaches on the entrance strains of competitors take into consideration these modifications? We talked to Masaru Takamizawa, head coach of final 12 months’s Nationwide Excessive College Boys Ekiden champion Saku Chosei H.S. which ran the quickest time within the race’s 74-year historical past whereas utilizing an all-Japanese lineup.
The most important rule modifications relating to using non-Japanese athletes in highschool ekidens had been introduced on the finish of final 12 months. Non-Japanese runners first appeared on the scene in highschool working within the early Nineteen Nineties and have been the supply of fixed debate since then. Restrictions have step by step tightened. In 1995 a rule limiting groups to at least one non-citizen of their beginning lineup was introduced. In 2008 non-Japanese athletes had been banned from the longest phases, 10 km for boys and 6 km for women.
Starting with the 2024 season, the brand new rule stipulates that “worldwide college students will solely be allowed on the shortest stage in each boys’ and ladies’ races.” On the Nationwide Excessive College Ekiden that’s 3.0 km for each the boys’ and ladies’ races. Because the 2008 restriction was put in place non-Japanese athletes have usually run 8 km phases within the boys’ race and 5 km within the ladies’ race, so by limiting these athletes to an excellent shorter distance it appears inevitable that their affect on the race’s end result will probably be diminished much more.
“The topic of reducing again the gap worldwide college students can run has all the time been on the agenda, so this does not really feel like a sudden transfer,” says coach Takamizawa. “However the announcement was made proper after our workforce received in a course file with an all-Japanese lineup, so in that sense my sincere response was, ‘What? Is that this the precise timing to do one thing like this?'” Saku Chosei H.S. has by no means had a non-Japanese runner however has received the Nationwide Excessive College Ekiden thrice, culminating in its 2:01:00 CR for the 42.195 km course in 2023.
“Basically, we do not have worldwide college students on our workforce, and we do not care if our opponents in ekidens do,” says Takamizawa. “The one factor we care about is how we should always race with a view to win the nationwide championship. In contemplating our technique, if the opposite camps have worldwide college students then we’ll give you methods to take care of them, and if they do not then we’ll make the suitable modifications to how we place our folks. So, this rule change does nothing to alter the best way I take into consideration what we do.”
In an ekiden, a person runner could lose in head-to-head racing towards a powerful international athlete, however they’ll nonetheless contribute to their workforce’s total success. That’s a part of the joy of the ekiden as a sport, and it is a part of the delight that Saku Chosei H.S. has in its achievement of three nationwide titles with solely Japanese runners. With that in thoughts, coach Takamizawa analyzed the professionals and cons of additional proscribing worldwide college students, who typically have “distinctive potential” in contrast with Japanese athletes.
“To be practical, these new rule modifications just about destroy any probability for one of the best Japanese athletes to race towards robust worldwide competitors in ekidens,” he says. “The JAAF says it desires to ‘enhance the fundamental velocity of Japanese runners,’ however the actuality is that in an ekiden there may be nearly no probability a coach will put one among their finest folks on the shortest stage. By way of affect on the workforce efficiency, that is the place it’s important to put your sixth or Seventh-best athlete. So, in that sense I really feel like this can be a massive loss for one of the best Japanese runners. In our case, our high guys like Hiroto Yoshioka (5000 m H.S. NR holder) two years in the past and Soma Nagahara (3000 mSC H.S. NR holder) final 12 months had it as a purpose to be aggressive towards the worldwide college students on their stage. I feel it is an actual disgrace that that chance is being taken away.”
However on the similar time, Takamizawa concedes that the rule change could have psychological advantages for folks apart from the highschool super-elite. “It is fairly truthful to say that the variety of excessive schoolers like Yoshioka and Nagahara who assume, ‘I wish to beat the internationals’ is fairly small. For almost all, even on the groups that make it to Nationals, worldwide college students are like folks from above the clouds. In an ekiden most people working the identical stage as a global scholar are feeling depressed about themselves proper from the go, considering, ‘There is no means I can compete it doesn’t matter what I do.’ In that sense I feel this rule change may need some advantages by way of stopping a whole lot of younger folks from dropping motivation. For groups which have worldwide athletes, having different teammates tackle the better duty of the longer phases that their internationals used to run may enhance their consciousness and sense of worth to the workforce.”
When the rule change was first introduced, one difficulty that surfaced on social media and within the common media was that it could discourage international college students who simply wish to work onerous and higher themselves from coming to Japan. As a scholar at Yamanashi Gakuin College, coach Takamizawa had worldwide college students as teammates and noticed their lives from up shut. “After I was in faculty we had worldwide scholar runners on the groups, and I acquired to be taught in regards to the completely different tradition of their nation. I noticed them working onerous to beat language limitations and the hardships of leaving their house nations. If a Japanese scholar had been to attempt to do the identical factor and go abroad they’d in all probability have a fairly onerous time. That gave me the possibility to personally expertise how superb worldwide college students are, and I am not speaking nearly their athletic potential.”
However Takamizawa says that in the previous few years he has observed issues. “Having worldwide college students is meant to be about them spending time along with Japanese college students in courses and membership actions, creating a chance for each to find out about completely different cultures and turn into higher athletes. However their excessive degree as athletes can truly hinder this, and there are some groups that simply deal with them as a ringer that they’ll convey into play in the principle occasion. I’ve heard that some groups mainly ship the worldwide college students they carry to Japan off to coach with company groups for the summer season, and fairly effectively by no means see them. That is likely to be OK on the professional degree the place it is their job, nevertheless it’s unhealthy at the highschool degree which is meant to be about an schooling. With that in thoughts, the problem of worldwide college students having an excessive amount of of an affect on the result of a race creates issues on each facet of the equation which you think about what an schooling is meant to essentially imply.”
However you possibly can argue that that implies that so long as the worldwide college students are getting a stable schooling, being restricted to working 3 km is not actually an issue by way of the importance of getting them. “If you happen to take a look at the college and company league ekiden circuits, on the Hakone Ekiden groups are solely allowed to run one worldwide, and on the New 12 months Ekiden they’re solely allowed to run a 7.8 km stage out of the whole 100 km distance. In each instances that is lower than 10% the whole distance. If you consider it that away, to this point in highschool ekidens the proportion of the whole distance that was run by worldwide college students was round 20%, so it is likely to be extra correct to say that this alteration lastly brings highschool ekiden into alignment with the usual in different classes of the game.”
One other aspect of the query is that having worldwide college students round throughout each day coaching generally is a main stimulus for Japanese athletes. Their presence brings advantages past simply within the precise races, and, believes coach Takamizawa, “Proscribing the gap they’ll run will not essentially cut back their motivation, or the motivation for groups to have them.” So what impacts will this rule change have on highschool ekidens and highschool distance working as an entire? Tendencies amongst groups with worldwide college students are already beginning to change for the reason that announcement of the brand new guidelines, and Takamizawa believes this 12 months’s Nationwide Excessive College Monitor and Discipline Championships will probably be completely different from previously.
“If you happen to take a look at the outcomes from the prefectural observe and discipline championship meets main as much as Excessive College Nationals this season,” he says, “you may see a whole lot of worldwide college students racing in 800 m and 1500 m, distances that colleges have not actually prioritized earlier than. I feel coaches are already considering by way of the shorter ekiden stage and beginning to give attention to growing these athletes in shorter observe races.”
For instance of the affect that previous rule modifications have had, Takamizawa cites the First Stage on the 2008 Nationwide Excessive College Ekiden, the primary 12 months that non-Japanese college students had been banned from working the ten.0 km opening leg. “Regardless that it was the place all one of the best Japanese athletes had been positioned, the tempo on the First Stage that point was extremely gradual. Earlier than that a global scholar had normally gone out onerous and the Japanese would observe and go quick, however with out them round that 12 months the Japanese runners went gradual and simply eyed one another. Saku Chosei’s finest runner at the moment was Akinobu Murasawa, however head coach Hayashi Morozumi anticipated that it could be gradual and put Murasawa on the second-longest leg, Stage Three, as an alternative placing Kenta Chiba on first.
“Murasawa was a frontrunner, so on a gradual First Stage he would’ve nearly inevitably ended up having to guide the pack,” says Takamizawa. “Provided that truth, coach Morozumi made the choice to arrange the roster with him on Third the place he may run his personal tempo freely, and Chiba on First the place he may run safely within the pack and hand off with none issues. On the time it was a really uncommon transfer to place your finest runner someplace apart from the opening leg, and it appeared like that made a fairly large impression on the opposite colleges.”
If the pattern Takamizawa has observed of worldwide college students beginning to give attention to center distances this season continues, one thing related may occur on the observe, particularly the 5000 m on the Nationwide Excessive College Championships, the most important observe race of the 12 months for prime schoolers. “If worldwide college students begin to give attention to center distance occasions just like the 1500 m in prep for the shorter ekiden stage they need to run, the variety of them working 5000 m will lower, and fairly quickly solely Japanese runners will probably be left. If that occurs it will turn into increasingly about place and fewer about time, and we’ll find yourself with gradual races like that opening leg in 2008. Particularly since Excessive College Nationals are in the course of the summer season. If it goes that means it will be onerous for even a extremely gifted Japanese athlete to simply solo it the entire means. If it comes right down to the very finish then it is much less about total working potential, and individuals who have a kick have a bonus. I feel that may have an effect on the outcomes on the nationwide degree.”
Requested whether or not that may have an effect on collegiate recruiting by the Hakone Ekiden powerhouses, Takamizawa says, “I do not assume there will be a lot affect. Scouts every have their very own standards and consider potential recruits throughout a variety of competitions. However on the main competitions like Excessive College Nationals, sure, it’d have an effect on the impressions left on the scouts.”
Takamizawa says that there is additionally the likelihood that there could also be an affect on the best way athletes coming into highschool assume. “For instance, on a workforce like ours, it is doable that we would get a brand new recruit who says, ‘I wish to race towards worldwide competitors, so I wish to give attention to center distance.’ When that occurs, it is fairly onerous to discover a strategy to stability that with ekiden racing. The truth is, even now a few of our athletes who’re principally centered on center distance have gotten extra acutely aware of worldwide college students for the reason that information about this rule change got here out.”
Whether or not they find yourself being for the higher or for the more serious, massive modifications are certain to return because of the new rule. What’s more likely to be completely different on the Nationwide Excessive College Ekiden itself this 12 months? “The course file on the three km Second Stage is 7:55 proper now, however as soon as worldwide college students run it we should always anticipate it to go to round 7:30,” Takamizawa says. “In that case, groups with internationals could possibly take management of the race straight away if they’ve someone good on the First Stage the place a lot of the finest Japanese run. The Fifth Stage can also be 3 km, so if any workforce places a global there then they’re going to be racing most groups’ Seventh-strongest of their seven runners, which creates a fairly important benefit. In that sense, which stage they use their worldwide athlete will probably be a serious strategic choice for the groups which have them.”
It is doable to make predictions like that, however methods have modified for the reason that ban on internationals on the First Stage was put in place in 2008. When Saku Chosei put its finest runners on the Third or Fourth Phases the place they’d need to race worldwide college students folks thought it was an odd technique, nevertheless it’s commonplace now. “You by no means actually know till you attempt one thing,” smiles Takamizawa. “And that is a part of the enjoyable. Finally what’s necessary is the way you strategy competing throughout the guidelines you will have throughout the sport, so the result would possibly develop into one thing completely completely different. Possibly the extent of center distance racing in Japan will out of the blue shoot up the best way the JAAF is hoping. As soon as we do it this manner a couple of instances we’ll have the ability to see what the brand new developments are.”
Will proscribing non-Japanese athletes to the shortest distance shake up the facility stability in the highschool ekiden world? Followers will probably be ready to see what occurs on the Nationwide Excessive College Ekiden this December.
supply article:
translated and edited by Brett Larner
