Olympics: Japan set for record medal haul despite COVID uncertainty
Japan is set to outperform all of its previous medal-winning efforts at the upcoming Tokyo Games, according to Olympic analysts Gracenote Sports, but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sporting calendar has made picking winners a tougher task than usual.
In its traditional medal table projection released 100 days before the games, the sports data firm says the Japanese team is tracking toward a top-4 finish, behind only the United States, China and the Russian Olympic Committee, as Russia s doping ban-impacted team will be known.
Whether the host nation can meet the forecast of a 40 percent improvement over the Rio de Janeiro Games, or finish even higher up the medal table, depends on which Russian athletes will be permitted to compete, Gracenote says.
Suzuki seeks more speedy starts with Sapporo in his sights | FEATURE
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Yamanishi cruises to 1:17:20 victory at Japanese 20km Race Walking Championships | REPORT
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Toshikazu Yamanishi and Antonella Palmisano
As this extraordinary year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2020 in each area of the sport. The series continues today with a review of race walks.
Who knew what lay around the corner when Yusuke Suzuki blew away cobwebs on New Year’s Day with a swift 20km in Tokyo?
It was the 68th edition of the race, and the world record-holder, who won in 1:20:01 was little challenged by runner-up Motofumi Suwa finishing 48 seconds behind.
In fact, when it came to superlative performances in the strangest of years, Japanese race walkers were little challenged by anybody.