The Japan men's 4x-400-meter relay quartet of Yuki Joseph Nakajima, Kaito Kawabata, Fuga Sato and Kentaro Sato (no relation to Fuga) set a national-record time of 2 minutes, 59.48 seconds in Olympic qualifying on Friday, August 9.
Japan finished fourth in its heat at the Stade de France, behind Botswana (2:57.76), Great Britain (2:58.88) and the United States (2:59.15).
Nine teams advanced to the one-lap final on Saturday evening (9 PM in Paris, or 4 AM JST on Sunday) in Saint-Denis, France. South Africa, Zambia, Belgium, France and Italy also qualified.
Japan failed to qualify for the men's 4x400-meter relay final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 despite setting a new benchmark.
Kawabata and Kentaro Sato helped host the nation's relay foursome set a then-national record of 3:00.66, in its first-round heat. The Americans won the final in 2:55.70.
Japan's last appearance in the Olympic 4x400 final was at the 2004 Athens Games.
Perspectives from Japan's Olympic Relay Runners
Kawabata, 25, said Japan is determined to succeed in the final.
"The team worked as one toward the medal," he said of the qualifying heat, according to NHK.
"I am glad that the team's strategy was to connect to the second half [of the race] in good form."
Nakajima told the Japanese public broadcaster that individual abilities and team unity paid off en route to setting the record.
"As a team, we were thinking of correcting our individual disappointing results and creating a strong flow from the first leg," he said, NHK reported. "If we could do that, I thought we could set a Japanese record and advance to the finals."
As for the final, the team's ambition is hardly a secret.
"Our goal is to win a medal in the final," Fuga Sato said, according to NHK.
Golf
Yamashita in Contention for Olympic Title
After the third round of the Olympic women's golf tournament, Japan's Miyuu Yamashita is two strokes behind co-leaders Morgane Metraux of Switzerland and New Zealand's Lydia Ko.
On Friday, Yamashita had her best day of the first three rounds, carding a 4-under 68, a two-shot improvement from the previous day at Le Golf National. Yamashita opened the tournament with a 1-under 71.
The 23-year-old Osaka Prefecture native had four birdies in a bogey-free third round. Now, at 7-under 209, Yamashita is tied with American Rose Zhang, who shot a 5-under 67 in the third round.
Thailand's Atthaya Thitikul is a shot behind Yamashita and Zhang. Colombia's Mariajo Uribe, who carded a 71 on Friday, is in sixth place at 5-under 211.
"To be in contention for the medal for my country, is like an intense experience to be honest," Atthaya told reporters, according to Agence France-Presse. "If I can get it, it's going to be really special."
Reigning Olympic champion Nelly Korda of the United States is one of four golfers at 4-under 212.
Yuka Saso, who is out of the title chase, is also representing Japan in the tournament. Saso has improved her score in each round. She started with a 77, followed by a 74 and an even-par 72.
Saso has a three-round total of 7-over 223, 16 shots off the pace.
Wrestling
Paris 2024 Champion Kusaka Says Design of Gold Medal is 'Cool'
Men's Greco-Roman wrestling 77-kilogram champion Nao Kusaka spoke about his admiration for the design of the Paris 2024 gold medal. He received his medal after his victory in the final on Wednesday, August 7.
"Since I was told about the design of this medal, I thought that it was so cool and that I'd like to have it so bad," Kusaka said, according to The Canadian Press. "Now, looking at it in my hand, I'm feeling so happy about this achievement, because it's mine."
Olympic Medal Table
As of 12 AM JST on Saturday, August 10, Japan had collected a total of 34 Olympic medals (13 gold, eight silver and 13 bronze) at Paris 2024.
Check out the updated medal table on the Paris Games website.
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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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