| Roderick Genki Dean | |
| Sport: | Track and field |
| Event: | Javelin throw |
| Collegeteam: | Waseda University |
| Pb: | Javelin throw: 84.28 m (Hiroshima 2012) |
| Birth Date: | 30 December 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Kobe, Japan |
| Height: | [1] |
| Weight: | 86kg (190lb) |
Roderick Genki Dean (Japanese: ディーン・ロドリック・元気; born 30 December 1991) is a Japanese athlete who competes in the javelin throw.[1] He was born to a Japanese mother and a British father from Chester-le-Street, England.[2] He has a degree in sports science from Waseda University.[3]
He started throwing the javelin at age 15 in high school and immediately displayed an aptitude for the discipline. He won a silver medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics throwing a new personal best of 76.44 m. He first came to prominence at the 2012 Japan Championships in Athletics, throwing 84.03 m, setting a new championship record, beating veteran Yukifumi Murakami and sealing his place in the Japanese team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Javelin throw.[4] He was selected as the Most Valuable Male Athlete of the Japanese Championships. At the 2012 Olympics he threw 82.07m to qualify from the heats, but could not improve on this and finished 10th in the final with 79.95m.
In 2020 and 2021, he finished 2nd in the Japanese championships.[5]
Dean won Japan's National Javelin Championship and earned gold medals in June 2022 and 2023, with 81.02 m and 82.65 m throws.[6] [7] [8] In 2023, he won the Asian Championships, finished third in the Asian Games[9] [10] and competed at the World Championships, having also competed at the 2022 World Championships. He is currently ranked 8th in the world in his discipline.