Javelin thrower Taisei Aibara enjoyed the satisfaction of winning the men's javelin competition at the Athlete Night Games in Fukui on Friday, August 15.
For Aibara, the significance of that accomplishment was, well, a big deal.
"The feel [of the throws] was good, so I decided to keep going," Aibara said, describing his performance in Fukui, as reported by Japanese-language athletics website Getsuriku Online.
Aibara's winning attempt was 81.54 meters, a personal-best throw. It was also the first time he'd surpassed 80 meters.
"I've been saying since high school that I wanted to reach 80 meters, and finally I did," Aibara was quoted as saying by the track and field website. "I'm relieved."
The 29-year-old had his previous best mark of 2025 (79.35 meters) at the 59th Oda Mikio Memorial in Hiroshima on April 29.
Heading into the Athlete Night Games, Aibara had a career-best throw of 79.39 meters at the 12th Nihon University Competition in June 2023.
In May 2024, Aibara had his best throw of the year (76.90 meters) at the 66th East Japan Corporate Athletics Championships in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture.
Taisei Aibara Aims for Future Success
Aibara has not experienced intense, around-the-clock media coverage like many of Japan's top athletes.
Instead, he's maintained a life away from the spotlight. He's also working for OniGo, a grocery store.
That said, he doesn't consider his improvement as a javelin thrower to be anything extraordinary.
"There's nothing special," he said of his success, according to Getsuriku Online. "I've just been practicing a little bit every day. Since I've gained weight, I've been running a little more lately."
He's currently 77th in the world rankings for the men's javelin.
"I'm 30 this year, I'm a late bloomer, huh?" he pointed out.
Qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics may be an unattainable goal for Taisei Aibara.
He has a more modest goal for the near future.
"I've been causing my family a lot of worry, so I want to aim for the Japanese national team," Aibara said, according to Getsuriku Online. "I want to target the Asian Games in Nagoya next year."
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Baseball
Tigers' Ishii Ties NPB Record with 39 Consecutive Scoreless Innings
Hanshin Tigers reliever Daichi Ishii recorded his sixth save of the season in a 2-0 road win over the Hiroshima Carp on Wednesday, August 13.
What's more, Ishii tossed his 39th consecutive shutout inning of the 2025 NPB season. He tied the NPR record set by Kaima Taira of the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2021.
Ishii, 28, has allowed one earned run this season. He has a 0.21 ERA in 42 appearances with 34 strikeouts in 42 innings. And he's allowed only 24 hits.
Giants' Martinez Records 200th NPB Save
Yomiuri Giants closer Raidel Martinez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Hanshin Tigers on Friday night, August 15 at Tokyo Dome. Martinez earned his 200th NPB career save in the Giants' 6-5 win.
In doing so, Martinez achieved the feat in fewer games than any pitcher in NPB history (348 games).
Kazuhiro Sasaki, a former standout for the Yokohama Taiyo Whales/Yokohama BayStars (1990-99, 2004-05), got his 200th save in his 370th game.
"I'm very happy," Martinez said after Friday's game, according to Kyodo News, adding, "I'm moved to achieve it in front of my family who only arrived from Cuba yesterday."
The 28-year-old Cuban led the Central League in saves (43) in 2024 when he pitched for the Chunichi Dragons. He joined the Giants in the offseason.
Martinez is the 11th pitcher in NPB history to earn 200 saves.
Ohtani Snaps 12-Game Hitting Streak
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-3 against the San Diego Padres on Friday, August 15, halting a 12-game hitting streak.
It was Ohtani's first hitless game in August.
Ohtani leads the National League in home runs (43) and runs (117), as of August 16. He's also batting .283 with 80 RBIs and 17 stolen bases this season.
On August 9, Ohtani reached 40 homers for the third consecutive season.
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Basketball
Hannaryz Sign PBA All-Star Forward Malonzo
Veteran forward Jamie Malonzo has signed a one-year contract with the B.League's Kyoto Hannaryz, it was recently announced.
The 29-year-old Filipino American is a two-time Philippine Basketball Association All-Star.
Malonzo averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 37 games for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in 2024-25, his third season with the PBA squad.
"I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome I've received from the entire Kyoto Hannaryz family," Malonzo said in a team-issued statement. "It's an honor to join such a passionate team and community in Japan. First, I want to thank the team management for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. Your support means a lot, and I'm eager to contribute to our success this season."
Malonzo continued: "I am genuinely excited about what lies ahead, and I can't wait to hit the court with my teammates, bringing energy and determination to every game. I'm looking forward to building strong connections with all of you, both on and off the court, and helping to elevate the basketball culture in Kyoto."
The Hannaryz, coming off a 33-27 season, hired a new head coach, Tsutomu Isa, in the offseason. Isa led the B.League expansion squad Fukui Blowinds from 2023-25. He guided the squad's promotion from B3 to B2.
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Horse Racing
Forever Young Among Trio of World's Top-Ranked Racehorses
Japanese thoroughbred Forever Young and a pair of Irish-bred runners, Field of Gold and Ombudsman, are tied for No 1 in the latest Longine's World's Best Racehorse Rankings. All three horses have a top rating of 127.
The rankings were released on Thursday, August 14, with calculations based on competition from January 1 to August 10, 2025.
Also for Japan, Danon Decile, trained by Shogo Yasuda, is tied for seventh in the rankings.
There are six additional Japan-trained horses that have top-20 ratings.
Briefly…
Japan will play its opening match of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup against Pool C opponent Ireland on Sunday, August 24 in Northampton, England.
Quotes of the Week
"We've managed to win [by] showing our quality in the end, so it was great."
―Liverpool player Wataru Endo on his team's 4-2 victory over visiting Bournemouth in the teams' English Premier League season-opening match on August 15. Endo had an assist in his 50th Premier League appearance.
"As I mentioned in the hero interview, I felt like a miracle had happened."
―Orix Buffaloes infielder Keita Nakagawa on being selected as the Pacific League's recipient of the Sky Perfect TV! Sayonara Award for July, Nikkan Sports reported. Nakagawa hit a game-ending solo home run with two outs in the ninth inning against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles on July 16 at Kyocera Dome Osaka. An announcement was made on August 15.
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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