Japanese Runner: 'I was lucky to beat my opponent Kenya'

"I didn't expect to finish first. I saw a Kenyan athlete, and he chased me for most of the race. I know Kenyan runners are very strong, so I tried to run as fast as I could. Luckily I finished first. with the expected results. This is a very good result for me, "said Nakajima.

Nakajima was not well known before the race. He surprised when he took the lead after starting 30 minutes, and maintained this position until the end of the competition. The Japanese runner finished after 2 hours 33 minutes 54 seconds, nearly eight minutes faster than the runner-up Victor Chepkwony - the athlete is considered the number one candidate for the men's full marathon championship before the race.

To date, Nakajima's best performance (PR) is 2 hours 23 minutes, while Chepkwony's is 2 hours 19 minutes. After the race ended, the two runners shook hands and promised to rematch in the next tournaments. Nakajima's victory in Nha Trang today shows the unpredictability of the marathon with many dominant factors. Athletes with good PR are not necessarily dominant.

This is not the first time Nakajima has come to Vietnam to compete. This movement runner once attended a half marathon in Da Nang in 2018 and also won another one in Ho Chi Minh City. Runner Japan said that he and his wife went online to find marathons in August and then chose MetaSports Marathon Marvelous Nha Trang. His wife - Tomomi Nakajima - also impressed when she finished second in the women's 42km with a record of 3 hours 1 minute 25 seconds.

"We don't have the financial resources to participate in many tournaments. When we can arrange the time, we will look for potential tournaments. I see MetaSports Marathon Marvelous Nha Trang is professionally organized, there are many watering stations and Volunteers enthusiastically support me to play with peace of mind. The weather in Nha Trang is not as hot as where I live, in Osaka, Japan, but the high humidity tests my endurance, "said Nakajima.

Nakajima is the first Japanese champion on the MetaSports Marathon system, promising to pave the way for many runners from the land of the rising sun to the tournaments in the system. With a long tradition of running, Japanese runners will be a heavyweight against Kenyan runners like Chepkwony or Shelmith Nyawira Muriuki - the 42km women's champion.