Yusuke Suzuki (athlete)
Yūsuke Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木 雄介; born 2 January 1988 in Nomi) is a Japanese racewalker.[1] He has represented Japan in the 20 km event twice at the World Championships in Athletics and competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[2] He is the pending world record holder for the 20 km walk with a time of 1:16:36 hours.
Suzuki competed in race walking from a young age and his international debut came at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He was the 10,000 metres walk bronze medallist at the 2005 World Youth Championships in Athletics and the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics.[3] He began competing in the senior ranks a year later and came sixth in the 20 km walk at the Asian Race Walking Championships and fourth at the 2007 Summer Universiade.[4] In the following two years he came tenth and fifth at the Asian Race Walking Championships. A personal best time of 1:22:05 hours in 2009 earned him a place at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics but he was among the last walkers to finish in the 20 km race.[5]
He won the 2010 Asian title with a new best of 1:20:06 hours, but again did not perform well on the global stage, taking 40th place at the 2010 IAAF World Race Walking Cup.[4] He placed fifth at the end of year Asian Games. The 2011 World Championships in Athletics saw him establish himself among the world's top walkers, as he placed eighth overall in the 20 km event.[3] He pushed out the pace at the beginning of the 2012 London Olympics, but finished back down the order placing 36th. The start of the 2013 season saw Suzuki break the Japanese record twice - he won the national title in 1:19:02 hours then took his second Asian title with a finish in 1:18:34 hours in Nomi, Ishikawa.[6]
References
- ↑ "Yusuke Suzuki". London 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ↑ "Men's 20km Race Walk Results". London 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- 1 2 Yusuke Suzuki. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- 1 2 Yusuke Suzuki. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ↑ 2009 World Championships Men's 20 km race walk. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
- ↑ Suzuki breaks Japanese record at Asian Race Walking Championships. IAAF (2013-03-10). Retrieved on 2013-03-17.
External links
- Yusuke Suzuki profile at IAAF
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yohann Diniz |
Men's 20 km walk world record holder March 15, 2015 – present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |