“It feels like I’m starting to get back into shape” - Reigning world champion javelin thrower Haruka Kitaguchi ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
Reigning world javelin throw champion Haruka Kitaguchi from Japan has insisted that she is slowly finding her lost form ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 after securing a win in the Golden Grand Prix in Tokyo on May 19, Sunday.
Kitaguchi threw a distance of 63.45m in the final attempt to make it to first place ahead of Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado (62.06m) from Colombia and Tori Peeters (61.26m) from New Zealand.
“I’ve been able to work on my physical conditioning for the past two weeks and it feels like I’m starting to get back into shape,” said Kitaguchi as quoted by Sportstar.
“I’m happy that I won in the end but I would have liked to have thrown 63 a little earlier,” she added.
Interestingly, Haruka Kitaguchi secured her world championship title at the 2023 World Athletics Championships after defeating Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado in her final effort in Budapest to emerge as the first Japanese woman ever to win a World Championship in a field event.
“I don’t think my throws today would be good enough to win me a medal” - Haruka Kitaguchi
Notably, Kitaguchi succeeded at the Diamond League 2023 finals, winning the title with a throw of 63.78m ahead of Tori Peeters (61.3m). She is confident of a podium finish at the Paris Olympics 2024 with good preparations in the upcoming weeks.
“I don’t think my throws today would be good enough to win me a medal (at the Paris Olympics) but I want to prepare over the next two or three weeks so that I’m able to get one,” Kitaguchi stated.
This year’s Summer Games will be Kitaguchi’s second Olympics. Earlier in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she settled for the 12th spot while China’s Liu Shiying won Olympic gold with a throw of 66.34m.
Furthermore, Kitaguchi stated that she is eager to assist in popularizing javelin throw as a sport in Japan. Additionally, she was overjoyed with the attendance at the event on Sunday.
“There were so many fans here today that it made you forget you were in Japan. Lots of fans clapped when I asked them to and it was nice and noisy. I’m very happy,” she concluded.