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At the Asian Games men’s marathon, Kazutaka Yamashita (29, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) won gold with a time of 2:10:49. Nineteen runners took off in light rain, and after the pack’s pace picked up past the 15km mark and dropped several runners, Yamashita moved to the front around the 30km mark and pulled away in the closing stretch after a head-to-head duel with India’s Balwar, finishing solo for the win. On 5ch threads, congratulatory comments mixed with a cooler take on the race’s overall level — remarks like “it’s only Asia, after all” and “he only won because no African runners were there” — sparking a debate over how to judge a low-2:10s finishing time, whether pacemakers were used, and how marathon records get officially certified.
The men’s marathon was held, and Kazutaka Yamashita (29, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) won gold with a time of 2:10:49.
Nineteen runners took part in light rain, starting at 7:30 a.m. A lead pack of 16 formed, with the front constantly shuffling at a slow pace. Past the 15km mark the pace suddenly picked up, and Yuya Yoshida (29, GMO Internet Group) fell off here.
Yamashita, who had calmly stayed with the lead pack, moved to the front around the 30km mark, and when he picked up the pace the group broke apart. The closing stretch turned into a head-to-head duel with Balwar (India), but Yamashita made his move just before the 36km mark, opened up a gap, and finished solo. His trademark “Ichitaka smile” was on full display.
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
？What are you even talking about?
I said it's Asia, didn't I (no Kenyans allowed here)
Whoa, amazing!
Congratulations! 🎉
Whether there's a pacemaker or not makes a huge difference
Can't be helped, it's this brutally hot time of year
That's true for every region, not just Asia
2:01:41 — that ranks 7th all-time on the world record list, set on 9/29/2019
Isn't Bahrain's team full of naturalized Kenyans or Ethiopians?
Bahrain keeps taking in athletes who switch nationality
Bahrain's women's team totally gave off that Kenya & Ethiopia vibe
At a glance you'd think even that Cambodian rep could get in, but only top elite runners qualify
I was surprised how few there were at the start
It was about as many as the lead pack right after the gun at the Olympics or Worlds — looked kind of lonely
Not a single one
Times vary so wildly I got curious
To address that unfairness, starting in 2029 it'll switch to 100-some laps on a track
Flat course no matter where you hold it
Just dangle a carrot like 'break 2:06 and you get a spot' and be done with it
That's exactly why everyone flocks to the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon instead
If you can put up a time like that in summer, breaking 2:04 in winter would be a breeze
He became the first human ever to break 2 hours (a 'sub-2') in an officially record-eligible race.
This Asian Games time isn't even in the same conversation (lol)
Seriously? Lame
It's not lame at all
F1 Monaco is just 80 laps, and the Indy 500 is just going around 200 times, but everyone still watches
Bahrain's female runner naturalized from Ethiopia
Like someone said above, in marathons without pacemakers the time doesn't really mean much
Was that during Japanese colonial rule?
They also won it at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
Beating Morishita was impressive — I remember him wearing a headband and showing sheer grit
Background and Talking Points
Because eligibility for Asian Games athletics is limited to athletes from the host continent, African powerhouses like Kenya and Ethiopia — who hold the marathon world records — don’t compete, so the overall time level is far below that of a world-class field. The thread’s point that “you can win when African runners aren’t in the field” isn’t off base; it’s worth keeping in mind that this is a different animal from the Olympics or World Championships. Likewise, a finishing time in the low 2:10s isn’t unusual for a tactical, championship-style race without pacemakers, so it can’t be directly compared to a record-attempt marathon. Opinions in the thread were split over Japanese runners’ motivation to enter races that aren’t official MGC (Marathon Grand Championship) qualifiers, but Japan’s Olympic selection system and results at international meets are separate issues, and conflating the two can skew the judgment. It’s also worth noting that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries previously had success at the Asian Games marathon through Hiroto Inoue, so Yamashita’s gold continues something of a company lineage.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Asian Games] Men’s Marathon: Kazutaka Yamashita Wins Gold! Following in the Footsteps of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Senior Hiroto Inoue.”
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