M45 starter gets credit for first sub-10 100-meter Japanese dash
The story concluded:
Fukuoka looked at the board showing the wind speed after Kiryu crossed the finish line. It showed “1.8 m/seconds.” Fukuoka was delighted, and held up a fist in celebration. Soon after, Kiryu’s time of 9.98 seconds showed up, which increased Fukuoka’s joy even further. He knew that these two figures combined meant that the 10-second barrier had finally been broken by a Japanese runner.
Fukuoka said after the race, Koji Ito, the previous holder of the 100-meter record by a Japanese person, acknowledged his contribution, referring to him as the “splendid starter.”
In his day job, Fukuoka works in the administrative team at nearby Michimori High School. As a youngster, he was a sprinter during his junior high school days, before going on to become a local government employee. From around the age of 30, he became involved in Japan Masters Athletics for veteran athletes.
Driven by a sense of “wanting to return his gratitude to the athletics world,” Fukuoka qualified as an official athletics judge in 2006. His contribution on Sept. 9 can be regarded as an excellent way of paying back this gratitude. Fukuoka says he aspires to be a judge at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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