Tokyo, Japan: First, there was controversy last night (under the stadium with all the coaches) about the men’s 4x400m relay heats, long after the fans had gone home. Protests were filed over hand-off infringements, resulting in re-running a few teams this morning and the US being reinstated. So, nine teams in the 4x400 final tonight! So. Much. Drama. Dave learned of this while watching television in the hotel fitness center this morning - and impressively figured it all out, as the commentary was completely in Japanese. I looked at the start list for the event tonight, and dang, if the USA wasn’t listed to race. Lane 7. It is the final event of the meet.
Even when we screw-up, we get it right.
The Giants v Dodger game was also on TV this morning, but Dave did not enjoy the game as his Giants lost. Again. (But this time, in Japanese.)
More walking today. We decided to explore the neighborhood around our hotel. We were just too tired to venture out too far today, but this turned-out to be a very fun and interesting adventure, as this weekend is the Akasaka Hikawa Festival, with activities around the Akasaka neighborhoods (where we are staying).
I see him so often, I don't even miss him.
We chose to walk up this street (pictured below), which seemed very quiet, and it was closed off to traffic. We didn't know if it was closed due to it being a Sunday or an activity, but there were many people walking around and all the shops and restaurants were open, so off we went:
But we were soon greeted by a parade of mikoshi (portable shrines) being carried towards the Akasaka temple. Each mikoshi was escorted by dozens of people - all dressed alike - chanting and singing and playing drums.
All of this was quite fascinating, and everyone seemed to be having a grand time. One group must have arranged for a break, as they sat their mikoshi on a rack on the street and they all went into a restaurant for lunch! Lunch sounded like a good idea to us, and we finally - after being here for days - went to a sushi bar.
At least sushi is sushi and it tastes the same as sushi in America (at much better prices), and we had a very nice lunch.
After lunch, I headed off in one direction to find candy for the kids (Leo was texting with me this morning delivering the request.) Dave headed off to look for a Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters baseball hat. This is the team Ohtani played for in Japan. Dave has been looking for this hat the past week and no matter how many sports stores he visits, they do not sell the Ham Fighter hat. I guess the Japanese have switched allegiance completely: you can buy a Dodger hat anywhere.
I found plenty of sweets for my grandchildren, and picked-up more prepared foods for our repast after we return to the hotel from the stadium tonight - starving. When I crossed the bridge returning to our hotel, there were so many people, and a lot of families, out on boats fishing. Everyone looked so happy.
Dave did not find a hat, but he did find some sort of Harry Potter "center" where there were stores, cafes, etc., with the Potter theme. (We saw another Harry Potter store in Harakuku last week.) In the middle of the plaza surrounding the Harry Potter "stuff" he found a miniature track laid-out with a cool poster of athletes:
Returning to the hotel hatless, DT walked through the Toyokawa Inari Betsuin Shrine, a temple dedicated to a white fox carrying a shaft of rice where you can pray to increase your fortune. (I can't really figure out the Toyokawa scenario, and I don't know why the shrine has dogs when it was a fox carrying the rice shaft, but their website is very interesting.)
And then it was time to head back to the track for the last night of competition. For the first time tonight, we took photos of the Tokyo National Stadium (their Olympic stadium) exterior at night, and walked around the entire concourse. More food options than behind our seating section (we never had food at the stadium), and there are recycling bins for every single item of food packaging in the stadium. Impressive.
The first running event was the women's 800m final. Duck Jessica Hull finished in last place. The race was won by Lilian Odira of Kenya, followed by two very good British women, Georgia Hunter-Bell and Keely Hodgkinson.
Then we had three Americans in the 5000m. It started out at a decent pace, and no one really fell behind the pack. Nico Young and Grant Fisher were racing near the front and Duck Cole Hocker was in the back with Jakob Ingebrigtsen. With three laps (of 12) to go, Ingebrigtsen decided to go. Cole went too, but Cole just kept going until he had passed everyone and won the gold medal in 12:58. Nico Young was 6th; Grant Fisher finished in 8th place. Ingebrigtsen finished 10th, in a season's best 13:02 - but he has been injured and not racing much.
I've been writing Ingebrigtsen for ten years and still can't spell it correctly.
Then the excitement really began with the men's and women's 4x400m relays. The USA women won gold; men took silver. It absolutely poured rain - with lightning - during the men's race and stopped when it was over. No drama in the race, and I was pleased South Africa was third in the men’s race as I am a big fan of Wayde Van Niekerk. Dave thought the women’s relay would be a showdown between Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Femke Bol of The Netherlands, but by the time Bol received the baton on the final leg, Sydney was halfway around the curve. Netherlands finished 3rd; Jamaica 2nd. USA getting it done tonight. Crazy good relays.
Wayde Van Niekerk (hip 8 - his lucky lane)
Next on the docket was the grueling decathlon 1500m. The 10-event competition was so very close over the past two days. All the track geeks around us were calculating how fast American Kyle Garland needed to run to medal. Garland ran fast enough to win the bronze, and the kid who won the NCAA title in Eugene this summer, Leo Neugebauer, won the gold for Germany. (His NCAA - University of Texas - score was higher than his World Championship score.)
The two 4x100m relays were the final events on the track. Would you believe the USA won them both? True to form the "Wi Fasa den Yu" Jamaicans in the section next to us were celebrating every race as if they won it all - I just love that about them! Everytime Jamaica gets a medal, they all start singing Bob Marley's One Love, and we all sing along. The guy sitting next to Dave in this photo gave us Jamaican bracelets for Leo and Lucile!
Apparently it is okay to run in a lightning storm, but high jumping and discus throwing are not allowed, so the two field events were suspended during the storm and they were just beginning again at the end of the 4x100m relays... but we went home. I seriously glossed-over the results tonight, so check the link below, or - gee, I hope you were watching on television.
The final medal count for America is very impressive - 26 total, with 16 gold. I was a bit emotional this evening, as it was the last night of the championships. Japan really put on a fabulous meet. Incredible hospitality and everything was so well organized around the venue and every single staff person and volunteer was so nice, polite, accommodating, and just generally happy all these crazy track nuts had invaded Tokyo for 9 days of The One True Sport. Come to Japan - it is a fascinating culture and they have the cleanest bathrooms in the entire world.
DT and I fly back to Los Angeles Monday evening.
Pedometer: Only 10,235 steps. Loser. No medal for me.
Until my next update, I remain, your World Championship correspondent.
Links:
World Athletics Championships | Tokyo 2025
Meet Schedule
How to watch from the US
World Championships Results
Tokyo Weather
I think I saw you on TV! It was the Womens 500?
Women’s 800? We were on TV. So many friends sent us screen shots. Good catch!