The extent to which home field advantage plays a factor in sports is often hotly debated, and there are so many variables in play that it’s difficult to be conclusive. For Japanese athletes competing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this week, however, it’s easy to imagine how the fervent, partisan home support is providing a boost.
The atmosphere at National Stadium has been raucous in the opening days of the championships, particularly when hometown heroes are on the track or field, as if pent-up energy from the closed-door Tokyo Olympics is all being released at once. Several Japanese competitors have commented on the response from the crowd and how it has spurred on their performances.
“Running in front of this home crowd in Tokyo feels really special,” said Yuki Joseph Nakajima, who delighted the stadium by setting a national record in the first round of the men’s 400 meters on Sunday. “The fans helped me to run this fast.”
The mixed 4x400-meter relay team also set a national record in its heat, finishing in fifth with a time of 3:12.08. “The atmosphere was so strong, the whole stadium was cheering for us,” said starting runner Kenki Imaizumi. “I used the power of fans for my running and just gave my best in the race.”
Hayato Katsuki, who won bronze on Saturday in the men’s 35-kilometer race walk, reflected on the difference between appearing at these world championships and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, when COVID-19 forced organizers to hold the event behind closed doors.
“I did the Tokyo Olympics but have not made an Olympic or world championships team since then,” he said. “Now I am here. This time the crowd could cheer and we could hear it. Tokyo wanted to make sure to show how exciting the race walk could be.
“I ran an exciting race. This is the start of raising excitement about race walking in Japan. There were Japanese voices saying: ‘Go Katsuki, we believe in you.’ And that made me finish my race.”
Other athletes expressed gratitude to the crowd for its support even when they were disappointed with their actual result.
Perhaps the loudest ovation so far came during the 3,000-meter steeplechase final on Monday. Home favorite Ryuji Miura powered through the field on the penultimate straight to deafening cheers and was in bronze medal position at the final corner, but ultimately fell back to finish eighth.
“In terms of the result I am honestly disappointed, but the cheers were so loud they almost rang in my ears — it felt like maybe it was just in my head, it was that powerful,” Miura said. “For me, this was the biggest experience I’ve had so far. Being able to run at such a meet here in Japan will be a treasure of a memory for me.”
Yuka Ando was similarly disappointed with her performance, finishing 28th in the women’s marathon. Still, she said she was moved by the reception she received from the fans who lined the streets.
“So many people were cheering along the course, and from the start to the finish I received constant encouragement,” she said.
“In the second half I was running in a way that I felt ashamed of, but even then the cries of ‘Do your best!’ never stopped, and those words saved me many times, allowing me to make it safely to the finish.”
Masumi Fuchise finished 28th in the 35-km women’s race walk after suffering an issue with her leg. “The cheering was really incredible — it never let up — and I was so happy about that,” she said. “The support really gave me strength.”
It might be tempting to dismiss these comments as crowd-pleasing platitudes. After all, it’s rare for competitors in any sport to complain about their fans. But the home support has been so strong — with the first two evenings of the championships seeing a completely sold-out stadium — that the reactions from athletes have come across as genuine.
At a send-off event ahead of the championships, newly appointed Japanese Amateur Athletic Federation (JAAF) head Yuko Arimori addressed Team Japan athletes on the matter of crowd support and pressure. Arimori herself made her world championships debut as a marathon runner in Tokyo in 1991, placing fourth, before winning silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
“At these championships, the support from across Japan will reach you directly,” she said. “Some will be delighted that it is a home championships, and there will be first-timers and others who feel ‘Ah, a home championships — this is really intense.’ But basically, it’s your familiar places, environments and food, and there’s almost nothing there that will work as a negative.” So far, Japanese athletes have been overwhelmingly focusing on the positives.
“Being able to walk on such a big stage as the World Championships, in front of so many spectators who came to cheer on Team Japan, was truly a happy moment,” said race walker Masatora Kawano, who finished 18th in Saturday’s race. “From the bottom of my heart I felt glad that I dedicated my life to race walking.
“When I was in the lead pack fighting for the gold medal, and even when I slowed down in the final stages and felt like I was about to stop walking, the cheering gave me a huge driving force not to give up. I am filled with gratitude to everyone who cheered for me.”
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