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Developing "extreme individuals" and aiming for victory

Ekiden coachKatsuhiko Hanada

Thank you everyone for your support over the two days.

The result was the same as last year, fourth place overall. Last year, I was disappointed but also happy about coming in fourth, but this year, the lead was in sight after the first journey, so it was a very disappointing fourth place. I keenly feel that my inability to send the athletes off in top condition was due to my own lack of leadership skills.

The track and field club truly came together to support this Ekiden race, including not only the runners but also the supporters and sprinters who acted as attendants along the road. We were also joined by many Waseda fans along the road and many people who supported us by donating through crowdfunding, which really gave us courage over the two days. I feel really frustrated that I have not yet been able to live up to that feeling, and I feel sorry to everyone.

Waseda must be strong, so we take this result seriously and will continue to work hard this year. Even with the Ekiden, I have focused on developing "extreme individuals" over the past four years. This policy will remain unchanged, and I want to develop athletes who can go beyond Hakone and represent Japan. I will bring together all of this strength to create a team that can beat teams like Aoyama Gakuin University, and I will work hard again so that we can compete in a way that will earn us genuine praise.

We appreciate your continued support and guidance in the future.

There was someone who practiced more than us and led their team.

Team captain:Tomonori Yamaguchi, a fourth-year student in the School of Sport Sciences

Thank you for your support over the past two days.

This team has really worked hard this past year. Although we came in a disappointing fourth place in the Hakone Ekiden, we have been able to continue proving throughout the year that a strong Waseda is back.

The strength of this year's team tends to be noted as a collection of "extreme individuals" such as myself, Shinsaku Kudo (3rd year, School of Sport Sciences), and Rui Suzuki (1st year, School of Sport Sciences), but those of us who were admitted through recommendation were admitted with the promise of success, so I think it's only natural that we will run in a way that lives up to expectations.

The true strength of this team is the presence of people like Kotaro Ito (4th year, School of Sport Sciences) and Rinta Miyaoka (4th year, School of Commerce), who were unable to run this time and instead served as support. They practiced harder than us and had the ability to lead the team, which is why we were able to return to a strong Waseda team, I can say that for sure. Also, all the team members, including the manager and trainers, came together as one and worked really hard to achieve our goal of winning the overall championship. I think that is the strength of this year's team.

Although it did not translate into good results, I am sure that next year we will be able to create a strong team and win the overall championship, led by Kudo Shinsaku, who was disappointed this time around, and Kodaira Atsuyuki (next  Ekiden team captain, third-year student, School of Political Science and Economics), who ran well in the ninth section, finishing second, so I would appreciate your continued support.

At the presentation, President Aiji Tanaka (left) and Track and Field Club Director Hiroshi Fujimoto (right, Professor, Faculty of Human Sciences) also gave speeches.

Left: At the beginning of the presentation, Director Kosei Shiraishi (4th year, School of Sport Sciences) reported on the results of the tournament.
Right: Everyone in the venue singing the Waseda University Alma Mater together

The athletes smile as they pose for a group photo. Left: From left, Kudo who ran the 5th section, Shiraishi, Tomonori Yamaguchi, who ran the 2nd section, Shumpei Yamaguchi (2nd year student, School of Sport Sciences), and Gensuke Sema (2nd year student, School of Sport Sciences) for the 10th section.
Right: From the right, long-distance coach Wataru Emoto (graduated from the School of Sport Sciences in 2022), Miyaoka, Ito, Kodaira for the 9th section, Ibuki Yamazaki for the 6th section (3rd year student, School of Sport Sciences), and Shota Horino for the 8th section (1st year student, School of Sport Sciences).

Waseda University Cheerleading Club cheering at the Hakone Ekiden. (Top) January 2nd, near the finish line of the outbound journey, Hakone and Lake Ashino. (Bottom) January 3rd, near the finish line of the return journey, along the road in Otemachi.

▼Article published on December 15, 2025