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Samurai Japan Baseball Team, Javelin World Champion Kitaguchi Win Japan Sports Awards

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Samurai Japan teammates celebrate winning the World Baseball Classic title in Miami on March 21.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:09 JST, December 15, 2023

Samurai Japan was named the winner of the Grand Prix for the 72nd Japan Sports Awards on Friday for winning the World Baseball Classic title for the third time in March.

The awards recognize athletes and teams that have performed well in domestic and international competitions. The selections were made on Thursday at The Yomiuri Shimbun head office in Tokyo. The prize for being named the Grand Prix winner is ¥5 million, and the ceremony is set to be held on Jan. 18.

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Haruka Kitaguchi

Haruka Kitaguchi, 25, who won gold in the women’s javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships, was named the winner of the second-highest special award. Akari Fujinami, 20, who won the women’s 53-kilogram division at the World Wrestling Championships and extended her winning streak to 130 matches, will receive the encouragement prize.

The annual awards were created by The Yomiuri Shimbun and are cohosted by Nippon Television Network Corp.