Japan’s Track “Godfather” Comes on Board China Olympic Track Team

Source: Oriental Sports Daily

After four months’ negotiation, Japan’s famous track coach, Shinya Takeuchi, finally booked trip to China on Tuesday, January 29, taking the new role as Chinese track team’s special director and advisor. He’s expected to come on aboard on February 3rd, on which day, he will be heading to the training camp with China’s track team, in Kunming, Yunnan province, directing base training. He will then go with the team to some altitude training bases in Liaoning province and Tsinghai province, where elevation goes above 2,400 meters (about 7,900 feet), to prepare for the last phase before Beijing Olympics. This presents huge challenge to a 76-year-old man.

On January 27, Shinya Takeuchi had completed all paperwork to come to China, and made official announcement on taking the advisor role in China’s team. “I accepted the invitation from Chinese team. This is to set a new personal life record for myself as well. I have coached Youfeng Zhao in China. I was happy to see her achievement, but I feel I’m capable of something more.” Takeuchi smiled with an ambition. “China has huge expectations to their track and field this time. I can guarantee to Chinese people, with where their women’s marathon team is now, 99.9% chance is that they can not beat Japan’s Noguchi Mizuki. The reason why I took this offer is just because of the huge challenge. If, however, Chinese runners take my advice seriously and train hard, chances will great improve that they will do well in marathon in August.”

Takeuchi’s remarks are not empty talks. Over seventy years’ old, he has rich coaching experience in track. He had a long conversation with his former university colleague Seto on January 24. Takeuchi indicated, “Chinese marathon still lags behind Japan and needs substantial improvement. People have expectations on me, and thus comes pressure. I’d like to do my best, first to change the spirit of Chinese team, which I think is most important.” They made promise that Takeuchi shall come back to Japan with Chinese team’s success.

The 76-year-old Takeuchi used to be Japan’s top track coach. In 2006, he got invitation from University of Sakura to become professor in Human Health. With rich track coaching experience, he gained deep knowledge in the field of human body physiological recovery. Prior to coaching China’s team this time, Takeuchi had accepted offer from Jiangsu province sports officials and coached Chunxiu Zhou and Xiaolin Zhu. Zhou later won silver medal in world championship, which gained Takeuchi much credit in China’s track and field circuit. The end of last year, China national track team formally threw out olive branch to Takeuchi who happily accepted the offer. “I hope to make contributions to our neighbor country, China, in last years of my life.”