Yuki Joseph Nakajima may have finished sixth in Thursday’s 400-meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, but even getting there in the first place was enough to make him one of the breakout hometown heroes of these worlds.
Nakajima was the first Japanese runner to make the 400 final since Susumu Takano in 1991 and he managed to finish one place higher than his senior compatriot, a man Nakajima describes as a “hero.” His first-round time of 44.44 seconds also set a new national record, cementing his place as Japan’s standout athlete at the distance.
“Having had the experience of running in a final, the difference between myself and the medal winners became very clear,” he said. “Once you’re in a final, most of the athletes are already very fatigued, and it becomes about how much more you can raise yourself from there. It really is the ultimate battle of mental strength.
“I think being able to experience that was really good for me. From here, there’s still a long road ahead, but I want to aim for medals — next year and the year after.”
Takano paid tribute to Nakajima in comments for Sponichi, praising him for the late charge that took him into sixth. "It unfolded just as I'd expected,” he said. “He maintained the pace he set early on without getting tense. With tenacious determination, he overtook in the final 10 to 20 meters. It was an unbelievable race for a first-time finalist."
Born in Tokyo to a Nigerian father and Japanese mother, Nakajima, 23, stands 192 centimeters tall. Considered a late bloomer compared to peers like Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, who was a high school prodigy and a junior world champion, Nakajima gradually built strength and speed over his time at Toyo University, and in his third year was picked for Japan’s 4x400-meter relay team at the 2022 world championships in Eugene, Oregon. In a breakthrough performance, he ran anchor and helped Japan finish fourth in an Asian record time of 2 minutes, 59.51 seconds.
That relay final would be a driving motivational point in his career. “It wasn’t like I was completely entrusted with the race, but I still felt my own lack of strength,” he said. “We finished fourth. Watching (American) Michael Norman win that race, I thought, ‘Someday I’m going to beat him.' That was the moment I could set a real, concrete goal.”
Nakajima has since competed in the 400 at the 2023 worlds in Budapest, missing the final by just 0.1 seconds. He failed to make it out of the 400 heats at the Paris Olympics last year, but helped the 4x400 relay team set another Asian record of 2:58.33 in the final, finishing sixth.
In 2023, Nakajima began training at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles under Quincy Watts, who won gold in the 400 at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He is signed to Fujitsu’s track and field team and trains in the U.S. with its support, practicing alongside athletes including Norman.
But at these home world championships, Nakajima has announced his presence to Japan and the world under a brighter spotlight than ever before.
“Before finishing this final, what came to mind most strongly was Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford,” he said. “How he said that some experiences don’t seem meaningful at the time, but when you look back later, the dots connect and they lead to some kind of result.
“I remembered those words. For me, moving to the U.S., the narrow defeat in Budapest, the Olympics, all of those experiences at the time honestly drove me to the point of self-loathing. They were such bitter experiences. Even with the U.S., yes, it was a good experience, but it didn’t feel like something that would immediately deliver results.
“But now looking back on what I thought were failures, those times I thought I should have chosen a different path, now I see they became my shield. It’s precisely because of those failures that each experience became a part of my life, a piece of strategy. I want to keep on challenging myself without fear of failure.”
Now, Nakajima has his eyes set on Sunday’s 4x400m final. “The medal I couldn’t get in the individual 400 — I think in the relay we’re in a position where it’s possible,” he said. “The big rivals are the U.S., Botswana, South Africa and the U.K. I’m determined to beat at least two of them.
“I think we’re putting in top-class performances for the whole season here at these championships, so I’m confident. I want people to believe in us.”
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