Asahi Kuroda

Asahi Kuroda

Personal information
Born	(2004-03-10) 10 March 2004 (age 21)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Long-distance running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	5000m: 13:29.56 (Yokohama, 2024) 10,000m:27:52.02 (Tokyo, 2024) 3000m S'chase: 8:35.10 (Kobe, 2024) Road 5km: 13:53 (Herzogenaurach, 2025) Half marathon 1:01:39 (Marugame, 2024) Marathon: 2:06:05 (Osaka, 2025)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing   Japan Asian U20 Championships 2023 Yecheon 3000m Steeplechase

Asahi Kuroda (born 10 March 2004) is a Japanese long-distance runner and steeplechaser. A gold medalist in the steeplechase at the 2023 Asian U20 Athletics Championships, his time of 2:06:05 for the marathon in 2025 was a Japanese college record. ^[1]

Career

Kuroda studies at Aoyama Gakuin University. As a sophomore in 2023, he won the second leg of the Izumo Ekiden and ran the All-Japan University Men’s Ekiden. ^[2] Kuroda won the gold medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2023 Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Yecheon, South Korea. ^{[3] [4]}

In February 2025, he took two seconds off Hiroki Wakabayashi Japanese collegiate record in the marathon, running 2:06:05 at the Osaka Marathon at the age of 20 years-old. ^{[5] [6]}

In January 2026, competing at the Hakone Ekiden for two-time defending champions Aoyama Gakuin University, Kuroda ran 1:07:16 for the fifth leg, running 1:55 under the course record set by Hiroki Wakabayash the previous year. ^{[7] [8]} After Aoyama Gakuin won the overall race, he was awarded the Shizo Kanakuri Trophy as the most valuable runner in the race. ^[9] He had also ran as part of the winning Aoyama Gakuin teams of 2024 and 2025. ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "Asahi Kuroda". World Athletics. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
2. "Komazawa University Aims for Fast Start at Hakone Ekiden in Bid for 2nd Straight Triple Crown". Japan News. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
3. "20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships". World Athletics. 4 June 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
4. "JAPAN'S KURODA BARELY MISSES THE STEEPLE RECORD". Asian Athletics. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
5. "Osaka Marathon". World Athletics. 24 Feb 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
6. Johnson, Robert; Gault, Jonathan (1 March 2025). "6 Thoughts on 2025 Tokyo Marathon: Joshua Cheptegei Struggles, A Japanese College Guy Goes for It (And Pays Dearly), and Sutume Kebede Holds on for a Repeat". Lets Run. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
7. "Athletics: 2-time defending champ Aoyama Gakuin Univ. leads Tokyo-Hakone ekiden". kyodonews.net. January 2, 2026. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
8. "Hakone Ekiden 2026: Aoyama Gakuin Leads Tokyo-Hakone Ekiden After Record-Breaking End to 1st Day (Update 1)". Japan News. January 2, 2026. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
9. "青学大・黒田朝日が金栗杯・MVPをダブル受賞！3連覇引き寄せる5区特大区間新／箱根駅伝". Rikujyokyogi.co.jp (in Japanese). 3 Jan 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
10. "Athletics: Aoyama Gakuin Univ. takes Tokyo-Hakone ekiden Day 1 lead". Kyodo News. 2 Jan 2024. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.
11. "Aoyama Gakuin grabs lead on last leg of 1st day". Japan News. 2 Jan 2025. Retrieved 3 Jan 2026.