Haruka Kitaguchi laid down the gauntlet in the women's javelin final on Saturday night, August 10 in the French capital.
Stepping into the spotlight as the fourth participant in the opening round, Kitaguchi's javelin soared 65.80 meters at the Stade de France.
Nobody had a better throw in the first round.
And nobody beat that mark over the five final rounds of the competition.
Kitaguchi, who finished 12th (in last place in the final) at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, delivered an upbeat, dynamic performance in her second Olympic appearance.
The 26-year-old pride of Asahikawa, Hokkaido Prefecture, lived up to advanced billing as the world's top-ranked female javelin thrower on the penultimate day of the Paris Games.
Reflecting on her accomplishment after being awarded the gold medal, Kitaguchi spoke about the difficult path to glory in France.
"I cannot believe this, this wasn't easy for me," Kitaguchi was quoted as saying by the World Athletics website.
She added, "I couldn't train well in the lead-up to the [Paris] Games, but my physio and my team believed in me. Without their help, I wouldn't have won gold today."
South Africa's Jo-Ane van Dyk captured the silver medal with a throw of 63.93 meters in Saint-Denis, France. Nikola Ogrodnikova of the Czech Republic received the bronze (63.68 meters).
Making her Olympic debut, Japan's Momone Ueda finished 10th with a season-best mark of 61.64 meters.
Haruka Kitaguchi Establishes Herself as a Top Athlete in Her Chosen Sport
After her appearance at the Tokyo Games, Kitaguchi emerged as one of the world's top javelin throwers.
She finished third overall at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Marked improvement was on display as her javelin traveled 63.27 meters.
Confident and with a consistent presence among the winners and contenders on the Diamond League circuit, Kitaguchi triumphed at the world championships in 2023 in Budapest. Her winning throw: 66.73 meters. Unlike in France, where she set the gold standard on her first attempt, Kitaguchi saved her best for last in the Hungarian capital, winning the world title with the best throw on her last throw.
Between 2022 and '23, Kitaguchi's development as a javelin thrower and her own expectations changed in a big way.
"Last year my goal was just to get into the final," she said, according to Reuters in Budapest. This time my goal was gold."
The Thrill of Victory at Paris 2024
In winning the Olympic javelin title, Kitaguchi became the first Japanese woman to do so in an athletics event other than marathon (Naoko Takahashi in 2000, Mizuki Noguchi in 2004) at the Olympics.
What does winning an Olympic gold medal mean to Kitaguchi?
"It's an inexplicable feeling, it hasn't sunk in yet," Kitaguchi was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. "I love Japan, but I have to train in the Czech Republic because there are amazing athletes there."
Arriving in France before the Olympics, Kitaguchi admitted after the javelin final that she had anxiety about how she would perform.
In the end, though, her top mark in the opening round, which also happened to be her best throw of 2024, stood firm. She had her second-best attempt in the six-round final (64.73) on her fifth attempt.
"It wasn't easy for me," Kitaguchi told reporters, according to Kyodo News. "Things weren't going well at the start of the season and I headed to Paris with lots of worries."
She continued by saying, "I knew I was in form [today] and wanted a record, so I gave my best till the end."
Haruka Kitaguchi's best was, indeed, golden on a glorious night in France.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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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