To reach their peak at the Olympics, Japan athletes will no longer have to head to peaks in other countries for crucial high-altitude training.
Competitors in swimming and athletics preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics can make use of a brand-new complex built at an altitude of about 1,750 meters in Tomi, Nagano Prefecture. Called GMO Athletes Park Yunomaru, the complex has the nation's first swimming pool for high-altitude training, which was completed in October last year. The national team held a training camp there in December.
"I'm happy it's only two or three hours away from Tokyo, and there are no concerns, so we can concentrate fully on our training," said Ippei Watanabe, a former world recordholder in the men's 200-meter breaststroke.
Up to now, Japanese national teams mainly traveled to the United States, Spain or other locations to train at altitudes of over 2,000 meters.
Takayuki Umehara, the coach of swimming superstar Daiya Seto, said having a domestic facility provides the advantage of cutting down on valuable preparation time.
"To go overseas, we needed to prepare for about a week [before starting actual training], but this time we could do it in three days," Umehara said.
Used by top athletes
In the process of building the complex, a 400-meter running track and cross-country course through the woods were completed first in the fall of 2017. Suguru Osako, the Japan record-holder in the men's marathon, is among the many top long-distance runners who have made use of the facilities.
There are also a number of training courses at lower altitudes in the surrounding area, as well as a stadium at 700 meters in Saku, Nagano Prefecture, about a 40-minute drive from GMO.
Many athletes can be expected to gather at the complex for their final preparations before the Tokyo Olympics. Even the United States, where high-altitude training is common, is considering having its middle- and long-distance teams use the complex.
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