Sho Watanabe Explained

Sho Watanabe
Native Name:渡辺翔
Native Name Lang:ja
Sport:Athletics
Event:Marathon
Birth Place:Fukuoka, Japan

Sho Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺翔) is a Japanese wheelchair racer, who won the 2017 Tokyo Marathon, came second at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon, and came third at the 2017 New York City Marathon and the 2023 and 2024 Tokyo Marathons.

Personal life

Watanabe is from Fukuoka, Japan.[1]

Career

Watanabe came second in the 10,000 metres T54 race at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships.[2] Watanabe won the 2017 Tokyo Marathon,[3] beating race favourite Marcel Hug.[1] In the same year, Watanabe finished third at the 2017 New York City Marathon.[1] At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, Watanabe, Tomoki Suzuki, Yuki Nishi, and Hitoshi Matsunaga won the 4 × 400 metres relay T53/T54 race, by virtue of being the only finishers.[4]

He finished second at the 2019 Singapore Marathon behind countryman Kota Hokonuie.[5] Watanabe came second at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon behind fellow Japanese competitor Tomoki Suzuki.[6] At the 2020 London Marathon, Watanabe was involved in a six-person sprint finish for the victory, and finished fourth.[7] Watanabe finished in 1:36:08, exactly the same time as Marcel Hug who finished third.[8] The next year, he finished seventh at the London Marathon,[9] and ninth at the Boston[10] and New York City Marathons.[11]

Watanabe finished third at the 2023 Tokyo Marathon,[12] and again at the 2024 Tokyo Marathon.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mental strength the secret for Sho Watanabe. Paralympic.org. 22 February 2018. 23 October 2020.
  2. News: Hug wraps up third consecutive 10,000m title at the IPC Athletics World Championships. World Athletics. 20 July 2013. 6 November 2020.
  3. Web site: Tokyo roads ready for 2019 marathon. Paralympic.org. 2 March 2019. 23 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Men's 4 × 400 metres relay T53/T54. pdf. International Paralympic Committee. 18 January 2021.
  5. News: Filipino runners flock by thousands to historic Singapore Marathon. Rappler. 4 December 2019. 23 October 2020.
  6. Web site: Tokyo Marathon 2020 Race result. Tokyo Marathon. 1 March 2020. 23 October 2020.
  7. Brent Lakatos and Nikita Den Boer Capture the London Marathon Wheelchair Titles. Runner's World. 4 October 2020. 4 October 2020.
  8. Lakatos and Den Boer battle to wheelchair wins in London. Athletics Weekly. 4 October 2020. 23 October 2020.
  9. Web site: Leaderboard: Wheelchair T53/T54. London Marathon. 3 October 2021.
  10. https://boston.r.mikatiming.com/2021/?pid=leaderboard&pidp=leaderboard Results
  11. Web site: TCS New York City Marathon 2021: Wheelchair Men. New York Road Runners. 8 November 2021.
  12. Web site: Tokyo Marathon 2023 Wheelchair Marathon Race Report. Tokyo Marathon. 6 March 2023. 21 April 2023.
  13. Web site: Tokyo Marathon 2024: Manuela Schaer and Tomoki Suzuki triumph. International Paralympic Committee. 4 March 2024. 22 April 2024.