Japan’s Hayato Katsuki earned the nation’s first medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships on the opening day of the nine-day extravaganza.
The 34-year-old race walker finished third in the men’s 35-km event at Tokyo’s National Stadium on Saturday, September 13. He completed the race in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 16 seconds.
Canada’s Evan Dunfee claimed the gold in 2:28:22, while Brazil’s Caio Bonfim was the runner-up in 2:28:55.
As a result, Japan also extended its medal streak in the race walking discipline to six consecutive world championships.
In 2023, Masatora Kawano was the bronze medalist in the men’s 35-km event in Budapest.
A year earlier in the pandemic-delayed global meet, Toshikazu Yamanishi was the men’s 20-km gold medalist in Eugene, Oregon, to headline Japan’s three-medal haul in race walking.
Katsuki, a Fukuoka Prefecture native, had a career-best time of 2:24:18 at the All-Japan Race Walking Championships on March 16 in Nomi, Ishikawa Prefecture. He secured a spot on Japan’s squad for the world championships with that dynamic effort.
Also on Saturday, Kawano finished 18th at the world championships, completing the 35-km race in 2:37:15.
In the women’s 35-km race walking competition, Yukiko Umeno was Japan’s top finisher, placing 15th (2:56:28). Spain’s Maria Perez won the race in 2:39:01.
Hayato Katsuki, the bronze medalist in the men’s 35-km race walk at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. (KYODO)
Katsuki Reacts to Medal-Winning Performance at the World Athletics Championships
“I truly wanted to win the gold, but the world’s top athletes were stronger than I had imagined,” Katsuki said after the race, according to NHK. “Winning this medal wasn’t just my own effort; the support from the people lining the course, some cheering until their voices were hoarse, gave me tremendous strength.”
Katsuki shared additional thoughts on his euphoric day at the world championships.
“At past world championships and the Tokyo Olympics, I was expected to win but couldn’t secure a medal,” he was quoted as saying by NHK. “Winning here feels like my own personal redemption. I raced with the mindset of wanting to give momentum to [Team Japan] and doing what I had to do as the oldest member of the men’s team. [And] I think I finished the race in the best possible way by winning a medal.”
Info on the World Athletics Championships
The meet, featuring about 2,000 athletes from nearly 200 nations, runs through September 21.
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Naoya Inoue (left) and Murodjon Akhmadaliev attend a news conference on September 12 in Nagoya. (©SANKEI)
Boxing
Inoue, Akhmadaliev Exchange Verbal Jabs Before Title Bout
Two days before their super bantamweight title fight, undisputed champion Naoya Inoue and challenger Murodjon Akhmadaliev shared their perspectives on the mano a mano clash.
Inoue (30-0, 27 knockouts) owns the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO title belts and expects to remain an unbeaten champion.
“I’ve been training while pushing myself not just physically, but mentally too. However the match turns out, I’ll win,” Inoue told a news conference on Friday, September 12, Kyodo News reported.
Looking ahead to their showdown on Sunday at IG Arena in Nagoya, 30-year-old Uzbek pugilist Akhmadaliev (13-1, 11 KOs) insisted he’s a better boxer than Inoue, who is 32.
“I’ve come to Japan to win the four belts. I’ll win by exerting my maximum [effort],” Akhmadaliev said at the media gathering, Kyodo News reported. “The super bantamweight really suits me. We have totally different boxing styles, I have the punch, technique and brain. I think Inoue is also a good boxer overall.”
Akhmadaliev offered additional perspective on his dynamic boxing skills in an interview with The Ring, published on the venerable magazine’s website.
“Everyone can have their own opinion,” Akhmadaliev said, according to the article. “They can underestimate me and my punches, but I will show you when the fight happens. When Inoue gets hit by my punch, we’ll see how he takes it. I’m not disrespecting anyone, but I will show my power in this fight.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning on September 12 at Oracle Park. (Darren Yamashita/IMAGN IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Baseball
Dodgers’ Yamamoto Pitches Another Outstanding Game
Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto returned to the mound on Friday, September 12 against the archrival San Francisco Giants. It was the right-hander’s first start since he came within one out of a no-hitter on September 6 against the Baltimore Orioles.
How did Yamamoto fare against the Giants at Oracle Park?
He allowed only one hit and one run in seven dominant innings, walking one and striking out 10. The Giants triumphed 5-1 in 10 innings.
Yamamoto (11-8, 2.66 ERA) gave up a Willy Adames RBI double in the first inning, then retired 20 straight batters.
“My condition was really good,” Yamamoto said after the game, according to Kyodo News. “I’m managing to head into the game with a proper plan.
“I believe I have about two more starts [in the regular season],” he was quoted as saying. “I’ll be keeping myself on my toes until the end before entering October [for the postseason].”
Ohtani Reaches 100 Walks in 2025
Also Friday, Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani became only the fifth player in Dodgers history to reach 100 walks in a season. In doing so, his on-base streak increased to 17 games.
The last Dodger to reach the century mark in walks was Garry Sheffield in 2000, when he had exactly 100 free passes. A year earlier, he finished with 101 base on balls.
The other three: Jimmy Wynn (110 in 1975), Brett Butler (108 in ’91) and Reggie Smith (104 in ’77). Smith played the final two seasons of his career for NPB’s Yomiuri Giants in 1983 and ’84.
Ohtani also became only the fourth MLB player during the 2025 season to amass triple digits in walks, Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Juan Soto (New York Mets), Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) and Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox/San Francisco) previously reached 100 walks.
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Kaito Kozono (©SANKEI)
Carp’s Kozono is NPB’s Batting Leader
In 2025, Hiroshima Carp infielder Kaito Kozono is having his best season as an NPB hitter.
Through games of Saturday, September 13, Kozono has an NPB-best .306 batting average with 24 doubles, four triples and three home runs.
Kozono was a .298 hitter in 2021, and he looks poised to challenge that mark and set a new career-high average this season.
Japan’s Ran Takahashi spikes the ball against Turkey in a 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship preliminary phase match on September 13 in Quezon City, Philippines. (©VOLLEYBALL WORLD)
Volleyball
Japan Men Drop Opening Match at the World Championship
World No 16 Turkey outplayed Japan at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, winning the teams’ Pool G opener 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 on Saturday, September 13.
In Quezon City, Philippines, Ramazan Efe Mandiraci paced Turkey with 17 points, including 10 kills and five aces.
For fifth-ranked Japan, Kento Miyaura led the squad with 13 points, and captain Yuki Ishikawa added 10 in the preliminary phase match.
“We started the first set extremely well, but after consecutive points lost led to a reversal, we lost momentum,” Ishikawa was quoted as saying by NHK. “The fact that we continued with a similar pattern even after losing the first set is something we need to reflect on.”
Ishikawa said the team needs a mental reset after suffering a loss in its tourney opener.
“The fact that we lost remains unchanged, so we need to shift our mindset and focus on refining our defense again,” he said, according to NHK. “If we continue as we are, I think we’ll struggle in the next match too. We have no choice but to grow within this tournament and win one match at a time.”
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Kawasaki Frontale’s Tatsuya Ito runs the offense in a J.League YBC Levain Cup quarterfinal second-leg match against the Urawa Reds on September 7 at Todoroki Stadium. (KYODO)
Soccer
Levain Cup Semifinal Matchups Decided
Kawasaki Frontale and Kashiwa Reysol will square off in one semifinal series and Yokohama FC and Sanfrecce Hiroshima will meet in the other as the J.League YBC Levain Cup moves closer to its title crescendo.
On October 8, Kawasaki and Yokohama FC will host the first matches of the two-leg semifinals, and the second leg will be held at the home venue of their opponent on October 12.
How did Frontale, Reysol, Yokohama FC and Sanfrecce advance to the final four?
In the home-and-away quarterfinals, Frontale had a 4-3 advantage in aggregate score over the Urawa Reds, including 3-2 in the second leg on Sunday, September 7.
Reysol edged Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 in the second leg and had a 5-1 edge in aggregate score.
Vissel Kobe topped Yokohama FC 1-0 in the second leg, but was outscored 2-1 in the combined two-leg series and failed to advance.
Sanfrecce won the second leg over Shonan Bellmare by a 4-1 verdict and also outscored their foe 6-4 in the home-and-away series.
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Japan’s Sachiko Kato moves the ball against Spain in a 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup Pool C match on September 7 in York, England. (Craig Brough/ACTION IMAGES/via REUTERS)
Rugby
Japan Women Finish World Cup Campaign with a Win
After back-to-back defeats at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Japan rebounded with a 29-21 victory over Spain on Sunday, September 7 in York, England.
Japan trailed 14-5 at halftime of the Pool C match.
In the second half, Iroha Nagata, Wako Kitano, Komachi Imakugi and Jennifer Nduka scored tries for the Sakura Fifteen in their come-from-behind win.
Japan fullback Sora Nishimura, who scored the team’s first try in the sixth minute, was named the Player of the Match.
“[I’m] really, really happy to get the result today and to perform what we have built up over the past three years as a team representing Japan,” Nishimura said, according to the tournament website.
She added, “I heard everyone’s voices on the field. Everyone’s support has pushed me. I am really grateful.”
Japan (1-2) did not advance to the quarterfinals.
Briefly…
Yokohama B-Corsairs head coach Lassi Tuovi is keeping busy during the pro basketball offseason, even in the early stages of B.League preseason training. Tuovi also serves as the Finland national team head coach. Finland faces Greece in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket third-place match on Sunday, September 14 in Riga, Latvia.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward’s dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
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