Veteran long-distance runner Kayoko Fukushi received the athlete of the year trophy and high school sensation Yoshihide Kiryu also grabbed the spotlight with two accolades at the annual JAAF Athletic Awards on Tuesday.
Fukushi, who nabbed the award for the first time, claimed a bonze medal in the women's marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 21 seconds. It was Japan's only medal at worlds.
"I didn't expect that I'd compete this long when I joined the company (Wacoal Corporation)," the 31-year-old Fukushi said at the awards ceremony in Tokyo. "I certainly didn't expect to win an award like this."