is a Japanese javelin thrower. He was the first Japanese athlete to win a World Championship medal in the javelin, taking bronze at the 2009 edition with a throw of 82.97 metres.Nakamura, Ken (23 September 2009). Gay and Felix take dash victories; new Japanese hero's spear falls short at Super Meet. IAAF. Retrieved on 23 September 2009.
He was successful as a junior athlete and won the bronze medal in the javelin at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He established himself as one of Asia's top throwers in the following years, winning silver medals at the 2001 East Asian Games, 2002 Asian Games, and the 2003 Asian Athletics Championships.
His first global appearance was at the 2004 Summer Olympics and he finished 18th overall in the final rankings. The 2005 World Championships in Athletics was his next major tournament where he could only finish in 27th place with a disappointing throw of 68.31 m. He was runner-up for a second time at the 2006 Asian Games and took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics two years later.
Murakami was voted the Japanese athlete of the year for 2009 by both Rikujyo Kyougi Magazine (Track and Field Magazine of Japan) and the Japan Association of Athletics Federations. These awards capped a decade of national dominance – with ten consecutive wins, he won the javelin at every national championships in the 2000s. His performance at the 2009 World Championships included a personal best of 83.10 m to qualify for the final, and 82.97 m to win the bronze medal – his second best ever throw.Nakamura, Ken (6 January 2010). Murakami is Japan's best of 2009. IAAF. Retrieved on 6 January 2010. He finished the year with a gold medal performance at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships.
He started 2010 with a throw of 82.49 m in Wakayama in April – his longest throw achieved in Japan.Nakamura, Ken (30 April 2010). Japanese 100m record for Fukushima in Hiroshima, world leading 27:15.73 for Thuo in Kobe. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-39. He extended his consecutive national title run to eleven in June, out-throwing Nobuhiro Sato by four metres.Nakamura, Ken (7 June 2010). Murofushi and Murakami extended their winning streak at the Japanese National Championships . IAAF. Retrieved on 7 June 2010.
On April 29, 2013, he extended his personal best by more than 2 meters to 85.96, more than 1 meter longer than the London Olympic winning throw, and 2nd best by a Japanese javelin thrower after Kazuhiro Mizoguchi.
International competitions 1997Asian Junior ChampionshipsBangkok, Thailand 2nd71.18 m1998World Junior ChampionshipsAnnecy, France 3rd70.72 m2001East Asian GamesOsaka, Japan 2nd76.36 mUniversiadeBeijing, China7th71.75 m2002Asian GamesBusan, South Korea 2nd78.77 m2003Asian ChampionshipsManila, Philippines 2nd77.04 m2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece18th (q)78.59 m2005World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland27th (q)68.31 mAsian ChampionshipsIncheon, South Korea6th74.65 m2006Asian GamesDoha, Qatar 2nd78.15 m2007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan21st (q)77.63 m2008Olympic GamesBeijing, China15th (q)78.21 m2009World ChampionshipsBerlin, Germany 3rd82.97 mAsian ChampionshipsGuangzhou, China1st81.50 m2010Asian GamesGuangzhou, China1st83.15 m2011Asian ChampionshipsKobe, Japan1st83.27 mWorld ChampionshipsDaegu, South Korea14th (q)80.19 m2012Olympic GamesLondon, United Kingdom24th (q)77.80 m2013World ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia22nd (q)77.75 m2014Asian GamesIncheon, South Korea4th81.66 m2015Asian ChampionshipsWuhan, China3rd79.05 m
Seasonal bests by year 1997 - 76.54 1998 - 73.62 1999 - 71.70 2000 - 78.57 2001 - 80.59 2002 - 78.77 2003 - 78.98 2004 - 81.71 2005 - 79.79 2006 - 78.54 2007 - 79.85 2008 - 79.71 2009 - 83.10 2010 - 83.15 2011 - 83.53 2012 - 83.95 2013 - 85.96 2014 - 81.66 2015 - 79.05
References
External links
Yukifumi Murakami at JAAF