Shoji Tomihisa resumed training on Friday for the torch relay. The energetic 103-year-old man usually doesn't train during the winter because of the weather and concern for his health, but he trained on the track for the first time since being selected to run in the relay.
"I want to run straight ahead with my head held high," said Tomihisa as he worked out at the Miyoshi Sports Park athletics stadium in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture.
Tomihisa started running track when he was 97 and raced in a competition in China in July 2017. He ran the men's 60-meter Sprint in the age 100-104 group in 16.98 seconds and set the Japan record.
He practices at the stadium once a week, except during the winter, with about 20 club members there to support him. But since December, Tomihisa has been training at his home on a stationary bike and on a stair-climber.
Before he resumed training at the stadium on Friday, his friends gave him a cake as a belated celebration of his 103rd birthday in January. They also presented him with a rod weighing 1.2 kilograms -- the same weight of the torch -- for him to use during practice. With the 71-centimeter weighted rod in his right hand, he attempted the 200 meters that he will have to run for the relay.
Tomihisa had to stop several times along the way toward the finish line, but he finished strong with the help of his friends cheering him on and yelling, "Keep going!" and "Keep your head up!"
He usually trains for the 100, but on this day, Tomihisa attempted 200 meters. "The torch is heavy so I have to stop my body from leaning when I lower my arm and [the distance] was long," he said, analyzing his performance.
Club member Kazuma Kamikawa, 81, said, "He has a great spirit. I plan to go cheer him on during the real thing."
Coach Hiromi Sadasue, 69, said, "First, it's important to get him used to the weight of the torch as he runs, and I also want to build up his stamina so his running posture can improve."
Tomihisa will be a torchbearer in Hiroshima Prefecture on May 18. "I think this will be a big undertaking going forward, but I'm not going to worry about my speed and focus more on not tripping," he said with a smile.
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