A Bronze Medal in Men's 50-km Walk Slipped Away at Rio

Japan momentalily "won" the first medal in Olympic racewalking August 19 as Hiroki Arai finished third for a bronze medal in Men's 50-km Racewalking in 3:41:24 but Arai was disqualified on account of his contact with a Canadian walker who finished fourth behind him.

Arai passed 4 seconds behind Australia's Jared Tallent at 40km but the Australian was quick to outpace him from that point on. Arai battled fiercely with Slovakia's world champion M. Toth for the second place but again he was outwalked by the Slovakian.

The Canadian Evan Dunfee walked past Arai at 45km and a moment later Arai managed to outwalk the Canadian when the accident happened. Arai went on walking and finished the race for what would have been the first medal ever won by Japan's racewalking in the Olympic games. Too bad.

Japan's racewalking had a memorable turning point in the 2003 Racewalking Championships when three walkers were disqualified - one of whom Fumio Imamura, the current chief of Racewalking Division of the Japan amateur Athletic Federation.

Imamura had walked in two Olympics - Barcelona in 1992 and Sydney in 2000 - and entered the Juntendo University graduate school in 2002 to initiate a scientific training program while upbringing young walkers. He had less time for his own training for the forthcoming world championships.

Imamura traveled to Italy in September, 2005, to solicit assistance of Italy's legendary coach Sandro Laminano. There he studied how to subdivide training periods throughout the year and to administrate physical conditions of the walkers, constantly measuring blood uric acid levels and cardiac rates, etc.

After a year's study tour of Italy, Imamura weaved his new-learned skills into the comprehensive training program. In 2011, Koichiro Morioka finished 6th (later promoted to 5th) in the world championships, Yusuke Suzuki set a new world record in 20-km walk last year, Takayuki Tainii was placed third in 50-km in the world championships and Hirooki Arai fourth.

Imamura's scientific training program virtually culminated in Japan's first "medal" in Rio. (Nathan Shiga)