(2)Japan gets best finishes in relays

(2)Japan gets best finishes in relays

ATHENS, Greece - Japan's squad of Mitsuhiro Sato, Jun Osakada, Yuki Yamaguchi and Tomohiro Ito (clockwise from left bottom) smile after missing out on the podium with the best-ever fourth-place finish in the men's 4x100-meter relay at Olympic Stadium on Aug. 28. They were just 0.09 shy of third-place Nigeria, as they completed the race in 3 minutes, 0.99 seconds.

Osakada heads into final stretch and into 2nd round

Osakada heads into final stretch and into 2nd round

SYDNEY, Australia - Japan's Jun Osakada heads into the final stretch of his first qualifying race in the men's 400 meters on Sept. 22, finishing with a time of 45.88 seconds to advance to the second round of heats at the Sydney Olympics.

Japan wins gold in 4x400m relay at Asian Games

Japan wins gold in 4x400m relay at Asian Games

Japan's 4x400-meter relay team runs a textbook race in Bangkok on Dec. 19 to edge out India for the gold medal at the 13th Asian Games. The team comprises Shunji Karube (far L), Masayoshi Kan, Kenji Tabata, and Jun Osakada (far R).

(2)Japan gets best finishes in relays

(2)Japan gets best finishes in relays

ATHENS, Greece - Japan's squad of Mitsuhiro Sato, Jun Osakada, Yuki Yamaguchi and Tomohiro Ito (clockwise from left bottom) smile after missing out on the podium with the best-ever fourth-place finish in the men's 4x100-meter relay at Olympic Stadium on Aug. 28. They were just 0.09 shy of third-place Nigeria, as they completed the race in 3 minutes, 0.99 seconds. (Kyodo)

Osakada heads into final stretch and into 2nd round

Osakada heads into final stretch and into 2nd round

SYDNEY, Australia - Japan's Jun Osakada heads into the final stretch of his first qualifying race in the men's 400 meters on Sept. 22, finishing with a time of 45.88 seconds to advance to the second round of heats at the Sydney Olympics.

Japan wins gold in 4x400m relay at Asian Games

Japan wins gold in 4x400m relay at Asian Games

Japan's 4x400-meter relay team runs a textbook race in Bangkok on Dec. 19 to edge out India for the gold medal at the 13th Asian Games. The team comprises Shunji Karube (far L), Masayoshi Kan, Kenji Tabata, and Jun Osakada (far R). ==Kyodo