Racing Across Borders: Waseda University Honjo Senior High School Track and Field Team Takes on UK’s Achilles Club in Thrilling Exchange Tournament
Exchange Competition Between the Achilles Club and the 4 Wings Club
On September 1st, an exchange competition was held at the First Ground of the Komaba Campus of the University of Tokyo, between the ”Achilles Club” (founded in 1920), which is made up of alumni of the track and field teams of the UK’s Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and the “4 Wings Club,” which was formed by alumni and volunteer students of the track and field teams of four Japanese universities (The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Waseda University, and Keio University). Athletes, coaches, and faculty from the Honjo Senior High School track and field team participated as part of the 4 Wings team.
Despite the intermittent rain, Ryuji Takezawa (2nd year) won the long jump in the men’s event, Yudai Mori came in second in the 400m, and Yukiho Watanabe (2nd year) won the 100m in the women’s event, while coach Yuki Kurishima came in second in the discus. Yuki Takizawa (3rd year) and coach Kazu Takada, who formed a 400m relay team with students from the University of Tokyo and alumni from Kyoto University, won the event with a new record, marking their name in the long history of exchange.
After the race, the athletes exchanged uniforms and enjoyed the match that transcended the boundaries of Japan and the UK, as well as the boundaries of each university. At the social gathering held after the match, the track and field club manager, Izumi Koyama (2nd year), presented the students with a gift of shikishi, which had been created with the help of volunteers from the calligraphy and art clubs of Honjo High School. The shikishi featured calligraphy with the names of the Achilles Club players written in kanji, as well as pictures of a Japanese style, which drew loud applause and cheers from the Achilles Club members.
It was a wonderful day of Japanese-English exchange, where the diverse talents of Honjo High School students, in sports, English, art, etc., were fully displayed.
