World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25
HIGHLIGHTS
UEDA Momone: Throwing the Javelin with Speed and Power on a Global Stage
The women’s javelin is one of the events at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 that is attracting a lot of attention. While Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medalist Haruka Kitaguchi leads the lineup, another athlete with high expectations is Momone Ueda, who will be competing in her third consecutive Championships. Despite her small stature of 160 centimeters, she is known for the quick run-up that enhances her throwing power, and she placed 10th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. We spoke with Ueda, who is aiming to compete in her third consecutive Athletics World Championships, following appearances in 2022 in Oregon and 2023 in Budapest, about the appeal of her sport and her enthusiasm for competition.
You’ve been good at sports since you were little. When did you first become interested in competitive track & field?
“I’ve been a fast runner since before I can remember, to the extent that even the teachers at my nursery school talked about it. When I was in elementary school, I went to a national dodgeball championship, too. Personally speaking, I love running, and I joined the Track & Field Club at junior high school to become a short-distance runner, but my times didn’t improve as much as I had hoped. I didn’t make it to nationals and was starting to lose confidence, but then I took part in a talent search project sponsored by Fukuoka Prefecture. The advice they gave me was that I was well-suited for javelin throwing, so I started with the Javelin Throw in my third year of junior high school.”
What was your impression of it when you tried it for yourself?
“I threw it lightly and it went farther than I expected. Things progressed smoothly from there, and I was selected to compete in the Junior Olympics. I ended up finishing in 3rd place at nationals. I was surprised that I was able to make it to a national competition, since I wasn’t able to in short-distance running, and I was also amazed that I did as well as I did. So I couldn’t help but feel that I had some potential in this sport.”
You became more serious about javelin throwing when you were in high school, and those abilities blossomed while you were in university. What do you personally find appealing about the javelin throw?
“For track events, the first one to reach the goal is the winner. And for the javelin, the person who can throw it the farthest wins. The rules for track & field are simple like this. However, there’s no one correct way to run faster or throw farther. When you watch a javelin competition, you can see that each competitor has their own way of running up, sense of speed, and way of throwing. Rather than imitating someone, we think of our own methods, find what works, and master them to the best of our abilities. This is what I find the most appealing about javelin and the most thrilling part of competing.”
Your style of throwing is distinctive because of the speed of your run-up.
“Since I’m only 160 centimeters tall, that kind of puts me at a disadvantage. How to make up for that was the most important issue I had to deal with. The major factor in the improvement of my performance is the presence of Coach Yasutada Noguchi, from Fukuoka University. Thanks to his advice, I took a good look at how I did my run-up, and I managed to use my run-up speed to increase the distance of my throws, and I also put more effort into weight training to improve my muscle strength. These led to improvements in my performance.”
Actually, during your third year of university, you got your first 1st-place finish in the All Japan Inter University Track&Field Championships. Those efforts paid off the following year when you set a new personal best.
“Once I figured out my own way of throwing, which utilizes my speed and power, it felt really good and my distance improved. When my throws make it past the 60-meter mark, the crowd goes wild. That moment feels absolutely amazing.”
You’ve competed in the World Athletics Championships in 2022 and 2023. Can you share a memorable event from your experiences?
“My first international competition was the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. I was just happy to be selected as a member of the Japanese team, and I was very determined to live up to the expectations. I’ll never forget it; it was three days before I was due to leave for the host city. When I was making final adjustments on the practice grounds at Fukuoka University, I did my run-up too fast and fell down. At that moment, I knew it was bad. And sure enough, I had a partial tear in the ACL in my left knee. I had my doubts, but I decided to go to Oregon like that. So I ended up competing in my first world championships with a torn ligament, and I didn’t make it past the qualifying round. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t throw how I had hoped, the ‘world’ that I saw out there on the field left a big impression on me. The cheers echoing throughout the venue, the competitors from all over the world, the level of international competition… Experiencing all of that firsthand was enough for me to vow to return to the world stage in my best possible condition.”
True to your word, you had surgery as soon as you got back to Japan, and you qualified for the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23. You also then qualified to appear at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, your first Olympics.
“I fell just short of the requirement to qualify for the Japanese team that went to the Tokyo 2020 Games, so I wasn’t able to compete there. That was so very frustrating. So I decided to practice hard for the next three years, hoping I could qualify for Paris 2024, and I ended up getting a spot on the national team. My results at the two World Athletics Championships I appeared in weren’t that great, but since this was my third international competition, I felt lucky. That said, the scale of the Olympics was far more massive. Just making my way onto the stage in the stadium, which was packed to the top row with spectators, was enough to send a chill down my spine.”
You made it to the finals with a powerful throw in front of a capacity crowd. It was quite the performance.
“I used what I learned from being in the World Athletics Championships twice, that I need to keep my composure after I entered the venue and focus on doing what I had practiced. I finished in 10th place. Of course I was happy to have made it to the finals, but my goal was to finish in the top eight, which would have earned me a prize, so to be honest, I was also disappointed by my results. But on the other hand, that disappointment also lit a new spark in my heart that will propel me to the next Olympics.”
The World Athletics Championships are being held in Tokyo this year. What goals do you have for yourself at this time?
“First of all, I want to improve on my personal best (61.75 meters), and reach 64 meters, which is the distance required to qualify for the Championships. My goal following that is to finish in the top eight in this year’s World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Tokyo. I want to keep training regularly until April, when the season starts, so I can get good results in competitions, and do my best so that I can let all those people at the National Stadium, the event venue, see me make a big throw.”
Many people will be coming from abroad to watch the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. What are some places in Japan that you recommend for them to visit?
“I would recommend Itoshima City in Fukuoka Prefecture. It’s where I was born and raised, and my parents still live there. Itoshima is a peninsula in the western part of the prefecture, and it’s a nature-rich place surrounded by the sea and mountains. My favorite thing about the area is the amazing view from the top of Mt. Tateishi. I highly recommend that when they visit Japan, they go to Itoshima for sightseeing, as it’s also close to Hakata, which is Fukuoka’s largest downtown area, so they can enjoy the sea, mountains, shopping, and food all in one go.”
＜Profile＞
UEDA Momone
Born in 1999 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Began running track in junior high school, specializing in short-distance running. After being discovered by a Fukuoka Prefecture talent search project as a talented thrower, she began javelin throwing competitively as a student at Nakamura Gakuen Girls' High School (Fukuoka City). Competed in two consecutive World Athletics Championships: Oregon in 2022, and Budapest in 2023. Placed 10th in her first Olympic appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Her personal best is 61.75 meters. She is currently ranked 17th in the world (*as of February 11, 2025).
Discover information on international competitions being held in Japan, as well as information about spots and activities where you can enjoy sports.
Enjoy a variety of sports with these helpful tips.
SPORTING JAPAN
