Shiojiri Breaks Japan Record in Men’s 10,000, but Falls Short of Qualifying for Paris Olympics

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:44 JST, December 11, 2023

Kazuya Shiojiri broke the national record in the men’s 10,000 meters by nearly nine seconds in Tokyo on Sunday — but still fell nine seconds short of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Shiojiri won the Japan Championships 10,000 at National Stadium in 27 minutes 9.80 seconds to break the previous record of 27:18.75 set by Akira Aizawa in 2020.

Shiojiri’s time, however, failed to surpass the Olympic qualifying standard of 27:00.00. Athletes in the 10,000 have until June 30, 2024, to achieve the mark.

Ironically, the top three runners all broke the Japan record, including Aizawa, who finished third in 27:13.04. Tomoki Ota finished second in 27:12.53.

“My goal was to win the race while breaking the Japan record, and even though the time wasn’t what I had hoped for, I’m happy,” said Shiojiri, who topped his previous personal best by over 35 seconds.

Shiojiri competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 3,000 steeplechase, but missed out on the Tokyo Olympics two years ago after suffering a serious knee injury in 2019.