Yoshika Arai ( ja, 荒井悦加, née Tatsumi ja, 辰巳; born 26 February 1982) is a Japanese middle- and

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who specialises in the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

. Her personal best for that event is 9:55.93 minutes. She took up the steeplechase event in 2007 and represented her country at the

2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, () under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member federat ...

, held in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. Her first major medal came at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships, where she won in a championship record. Earlier in her career, Arai was a frequent runner-up to Minori Hayakari at the

Japan Championships in Athletics The is an annual outdoor track and field competition, organized by Japan Association of Athletics Federations. Currently it takes place in June or July. The competition is also for the qualifying trial for the Japanese national team of internatio ...

, but she took national titles in both 2012 and 2013. She also placed fourth at the

2013 Asian Athletics Championships The 2013 Asian Athletics Championships were the 20th edition of the biennial athletics competition between Asian nations. It was held at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, India between 3–7 July. Around 522 athletes f ...

Career

Born in

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

, she attended Matsue Kita High School, before going on to study at

Shimane University — colloquially known as — is a national university in Japan. Although formally established as a university in 1949, Shima-dai's origins date back to the late 19th century. In 2003 it merged with the Shimane Medical University (established ...

. Following her graduation, she took up running professionally through corporate teams, including Wako, Noritz Corporation and

Deodeo was a consumer electronics retailer chain based in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan, having served the Chūgoku region. The company operated until September 30, 2009, when it changed its name to EDION West Corporation a day later. History In 19 ...

. During the early part of her career she mainly competed in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

and regularly ranked within the top ten at the

.荒井悦加　Yoshika Arai
. Japanese Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved on 2014-02-18. She began to progress in the sport in 2007, after taking up

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

and the

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. She was chosen for the 2007

Asian Cross Country Championships The Asian Cross Country Championships is a biennial regional cross country running competition for athletes from Asia. It is organised by the Asian Athletics Association and was first held in 1991 in Fukuoka, Japan. The competition has been held ...

in March and came eighth, helping the Japanese women's team (including Minori Hayakari and Eri Kotake) to second in the rankings. She gradually improved her steeplechase best in the outdoor

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

season, coming third at the Oda Memorial and culminating in a personal best of 9:57.02 minutes for second at the National Championships. This earned her a place at the

, but she was much slower there and was eliminated in the qualifying rounds. Arai focused on the steeplechase in 2008 and dipped under ten minutes again at the Barcelona Meeting, but was some way behind Hayakari and Kazuka Wakatsuki and the Japanese Championships and was not selected for the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

. In 2009, she won at the Oda Memorial, then was runner-up to Hayakari at the Japanese Championships. While Hayakari competed at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, Arai was chosen as Japan's representative for the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships – there she defeated all-comers and won the gold medal in a championship record time of 10:05.94 minutes. She was again the Japanese runner-up at the 2010 nationals and she did not compete in 2011.Yoshkia Arai
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2014-02-18. National rival Hayakari beat her Asian championship record in 2011. Arai returned to competition in 2012 and won her first national title at the 2012 Japan Championships in Athletics, as compatriot Hayakari (nearing forty) faltered in the final. Arai's winning time of 9:55.93 minutes was not sufficient for selection for

Japan at the 2012 Summer Olympics Japan, represented by Japanese Olympic Committee, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Despite being London's third Olympic Games, Japan marked their London debut at this games. The nation also celebrate ...

, however.Nakamura, Ken (2012-06-11)
Japan announces Olympic team as national champs conclude
IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-02-18. The following year she retained her steeplechase title at the 2013 Japan Championships in Athletics and placed fourth at the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arai, Yoshika Living people 1982 births Sportspeople from Shimane Prefecture Japanese female steeplechase runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Japan Japan Championships in Athletics winners