KOBE (Kyodo) Kobe firefighter Tetsu Toyama, 24, was stamped 2009's "man of fortune" on Saturday after outrunning more than 100 other men to win the annual good luck sprint at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture.
Nishinomiya Shrine honors Ebessan, god of commerce, who is worshipped to bring prosperity to merchants. According to legend, the first person to arrive at the shrine on Jan. 10 will be blessed with a year of good luck.
When the gates opened at 6 a.m., a group of 108 young men selected in advance scrambled to reach the shrine's main house 230 meters away. Others followed in their wake, though jogging at a slower pace to avoid the stampede.
Toyama, who said he can run the 100-meter dash in just over 11 seconds, was first to arrive.
"To be honest, I'm glad," the grinning firefighter told a pack of media teams waiting at the finish.
The sprint drew a crowd of more than 6,000 people.
Toyama played soccer in high school and played on a Hyoto team that went to the national soccer tournament.
