It was a truly beautiful and special moment.

On 6 July, the final day of The 109th JAAF Athletics Championships held at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the last event was the women’s 100-metre hurdles final. The race was fiercely competitive, it carried significant weigh— victory would bring the winner a major step closer to securing selection for the upcoming World Athletics Championships, also to be held in Tokyo in September.

The race had already drawn attention as the final National Championships appearance for a legendary hurdler, TERADA Asuka (Japan Create). She and other athletes including FUKUBE Mako (Nihon Kensetsu Kogyo), who holds the current national record of 12.69 seconds, hightened (the) anticipation and the race was a fitting finale to the competition.

The race came down to the wire, with TANAKA Yumi (Fujitsu) in Lane 4 and NAKAJIMA Hitomi (Hasegawa Sports Facilities) in Lane 7 finishing neck and neck. The provisional results flashed up on the stadium’s giant screen: 1st Nakajima, 2nd Tanaka. Both were timed at 12.86 seconds. Then the times updated: Nakajima, 12.851; Tanaka, 12.852 — a margin of just one-thousandth of a second.

Having given their all, the eight athletes began to gather around Terada. Tanaka wrapped her arms around the shoulders of Terada and Fukube as she exclaimed, “That was fun!” Then she approached Nakajima, who was covering her mouth in a gesture of joy, applauded her warmly, and gave her a congratulatory hug.

At that point, the final standings beyond second place had yet to be confirmed. The eight athletes sat together on the track near the first bend, forming a circle and chatting cheerfully as they awaited the results. As the standings were updated several times, they reacted with surprise, laughter, and amusement — the atmosphere was more like a group of schoolgirls enjoying themselves than a gathering of elite athletes.

It wasn’t until several minutes later that the final results were announced. In a dramatic reversal, Tanaka was officially declared the winner. As the other six athletes applauded, she and Nakajima stood up from within the circle and embraced. Then, all eight lined up side by side, joined hands, and raised their arms together, waving to the spectators in the stands with beaming smiles.

Sport is inherently about winning and losing, and I believe its greatest value lies in the determination and effort made in the pursuit of victory. There is no greater joy than seeing that effort rewarded. Conversely, disappointment and frustration are only natural when tireless work does not pay off. This emotional contrast is inevitable in all sports that creates winners and losers.

However, the athletes who took part in this women’s 100-metre hurdles final were truly exceptional. When they stood together at the end and raised their hands to the crowd, there were no “winners” or “losers” — only the dignified presence of athletes who had given their all and reached this stage through dedication and perseverance.

Perhaps it was the presence of Terada that created that spirit of unity. Forced to retire at the age of 23 due to injury, just as she was reaching her prime, she went on to marry, give birth, and take on the challenge of playing rugby sevens. At 29, she made a remarkable return to athletics, broke the national record that had stood for 19 years, and reached the semi-finals at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021. The shared joy of competing alongside such a legend in her final National Championships was surely felt by all the athletes.

The women’s 100-metre hurdles at the 109th Japan National Championships — a competition even older than the Emperor’s Cup JFA Japan Football Championship — represented, to me, an ideal vision of what sport can be. By chance, I was fortunate enough to witness it live on television.

“I gave everything I had, so I would’ve been content with either first or second,” Tanaka said after the medal ceremony.

Meanwhile, Nakajima, who finished second, stated her intention to meet the qualifying time of 12.73 seconds in future competitions in order to secure her place at the World Athletics Championships. True to her word, just two and a half weeks later, she clocked a superb 12.71 seconds at a meeting in Finland, claiming victory and greatly strengthening her chances of making the world stage.

Written by OSUMI Yoshiyuki (Football Journalist)

*This article was originally posted on the Japan Football Association Newsletter, “JFAnews,” August 2025 edition.

Japan Football Association Newsletter “JFAnews”

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