Yukifumi Murakami

Yukifumi Murakami (村上 幸史, Murakami Yukifumi, born 23 December 1979 in Kamijima, Ehime) is a Japanese javelin thrower. He was the first Japanese athlete to win a World Championship medal in the javelin, taking bronze at the 2009 edition with a throw of 82.97 metres.[1]

Yukifumi Murakami
Personal information
NationalityJapanese
Born (1979-12-23) December 23, 1979
Kamijima, Ehime
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight97 kg (214 lb)
Sport
Country Japan
SportTrack and field
Event(s)Javelin throw
ClubSuzuki Hamamatsu Athlete Club
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Javelin throw: 85.96 m
(29 April 2013)

He was successful as a junior athlete and won the bronze medal in the javelin at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He established himself as one of Asia's top throwers in the following years, winning silver medals at the 2001 East Asian Games, 2002 Asian Games, and the 2003 Asian Athletics Championships.

His first global appearance was at the 2004 Summer Olympics and he finished 18th overall in the final rankings. The 2005 World Championships in Athletics was his next major tournament but he finished in 27th place with a disappointing throw of 68.31 m. He was runner-up for a second time at the 2006 Asian Games and took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics two years later.

Murakami was voted the Japanese athlete of the year for 2009 by both Rikujyo Kyougi Magazine (Track and Field Magazine of Japan) and the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. These awards capped a decade of national dominance – with ten consecutive wins, he won the javelin at every national championships in the 2000s. His performance at the 2009 World Championships included a personal best of 83.10 m to qualify for the final, and 82.97 m to win the bronze medal – his second best ever throw.[2] He finished the year with a gold medal performance at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships.

He started 2010 with a throw of 82.49 m in Wakayama in April – his longest throw achieved in Japan.[3] He extended his consecutive national title run to eleven in June, out-throwing Nobuhiro Sato by four metres.[4]

On April 29, 2013, he extended his personal best by more than 2 meters to 85.96, more than 1 meter longer than London Olympic winning throw, and 2nd best by a Japanese javelin thrower after Kazuhiro Mizoguchi.

Achievements
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Japan
1997 Asian Junior Championships Bangkok, Thailand 2nd 71.18 m
1998 World Junior Championships Annecy, France 3rd 70.72 m
2001 East Asian Games Osaka, Japan 2nd 76.36 m
Universiade Beijing, China 7th 71.75 m
2002 Asian Games Busan, South Korea 2nd 78.77 m
2003 Asian Championships Manila, Philippines 2nd 77.04 m
2004 Olympic Games Athens, Greece 18th (q) 78.59 m
2005 World Championships Helsinki, Finland 27th (q) 68.31 m
Asian Championships Incheon, South Korea 6th 74.65 m
2006 Asian Games Doha, Qatar 2nd 78.15 m
2007 World Championships Osaka, Japan 21st (q) 77.63 m
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China 15th (q) 78.21 m
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 3rd 82.97 m
Asian Championships Guangzhou, China 1st 81.50 m
2010 Asian Games Guangzhou, China 1st 83.15 m
2011 Asian Championships Kobe, Japan 1st 83.27 m
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 14th (q) 80.19 m
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 24th (q) 77.80 m
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 22nd (q) 77.75 m
2014 Asian Games Incheon, South Korea 4th 81.66 m
2015 Asian Championships Wuhan, China 3rd 79.05 m

Seasonal bests by year
  • 1997 - 76.54
  • 1998 - 73.62
  • 1999 - 71.70
  • 2000 - 78.57
  • 2001 - 80.59
  • 2002 - 78.77
  • 2003 - 78.98
  • 2004 - 81.71
  • 2005 - 79.79
  • 2006 - 78.54
  • 2007 - 79.85
  • 2008 - 79.71
  • 2009 - 83.10
  • 2010 - 83.15
  • 2011 - 83.53
  • 2012 - 83.95
  • 2013 - 85.96
  • 2014 - 81.66
  • 2015 - 79.05
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References
General
Specific
  1. Nakamura, Ken (2009-09-23). Gay and Felix take dash victories; new Japanese hero's spear falls short at Super Meet. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-23.
  2. Nakamura, Ken (2010-01-06). Murakami is Japan's best of 2009. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-01-06.
  3. Nakamura, Ken (2010-04-30). Japanese 100m record for Fukushima in Hiroshima, world leading 27:15.73 for Thuo in Kobe. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-39.
  4. Nakamura, Ken (2010-06-07). Murofushi and Murakami extended their winning streak at the Japanese National Championships . IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-07.
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