TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Olympic and world champion Haruka Kitaguchi disappointed a bumper crowd at the World Athletics Championships on Friday when she failed to qualify for the women's javelin final.
The 27-year-old shot to fame in 2023 when her final throw of 66.73 metres in Budapest made her the first Japanese woman to win a world title in a field event.
Her celebrity status in Japan reached new heights last year when she repeated the feat in Paris, becoming the first Japanese woman to win an Olympic track and field gold outside of the marathon.
On Friday, her every throw was greeted with a huge roar but, her preparations having been hampered by an elbow injury, Kitaguchi managed a relatively modest best effort of 60.38m, seven metres shorter than her personal best.
"I was so happy with this crowd in the stadium but I could not throw well today," said Kitaguchi, who trains in the Czech Republic under long-time coach David Sekerak.
"I feel very sorry. I had a difficult season with injuries. I am happy to see Japanese people cheering me on and these will be great memories."
The qualifying standard for Saturday's final was set at 62.50m or the best 12 competitors and Japan's best hope for a gold at the championships met neither criteria.
Serbia's Adriana Vilagos topped the table with 66.06m followed by Australian Mackenzie Little, who threw 65.54m.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Ken Ferris)
