TOKYO: Haruka Kitaguchi can expect a hero’s welcome when she takes to the field at Tokyo’s National Stadium for the World Athletics Championships next week but recent injury woes mean the Olympic javelin champion may struggle to defend her title.

The 27-year-old shot to fame in 2023 when her final throw of 66.73 metres in Budapest made her the first Japanese woman to win a world title in a field event.

Her celebrity status in Japan reached new heights last year when she repeated the feat in Paris, becoming the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic track and field gold outside of the marathon.

Kitaguchi’s dominance — coupled with her bubbly demeanour and trademark dimpled smile — had marked her out as one of the highlights for local fans at the big event, which is being held in the Japanese capital for the first time in 34 years.

But those expectations fizzled after Kitaguchi, who is based in the Czech Republic, developed inflammation in her right elbow in June.

Upon her return to competition last month she placed dead last in the Diamond League final in Zurich.

Still, that has not stopped the Hokkaido native from aiming to defend her title.

“Since I’ve already experienced how amazing it feels to win a gold medal, I know I love being number one,” she said on a video call from Turkey, where she is spending the final two weeks of training in warm, humid conditions similar to Tokyo.

“So I’m going to give it everything to be the best.

“Aside from my elbow and arm, I feel my overall condition is much better than it was for the Paris Olympics. If I can go into the event in a state where I can throw properly, I’ll be pretty confident.”

Although only her last throw in Zurich cleared 60m — and just barely at that — Kitaguchi said she was no longer in pain and that reaching that distance without sustaining another injury was a weight off her shoulders.

“My number one fear was that I would get injured and not be able to come back… The 60m result boosted my confidence.”

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2025