The first World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in 34 years, and the first in Japan since 2007, started with a bang for the host nation.
There were numerous Japanese fans lining the streets outside National Stadium on the opening day of competition, and they saw Hayato Katsuki claim bronze in the very first event, the men’s 35-kilometer race walk. The result likely left Japanese fans dreaming of more success to come with the nation’s biggest stars set to take the stage in the ensuing days.
Japan, however, managed just one more medal — a bronze by Nanako Fujii in the women’s 20K race walk on the penultimate day — over the remainder of a world championships that featured exciting moments but little success in the medal standings.
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