The Japan Amateur Athletic Federation on Monday named 23 athletes for its team at the Sydney Olympics, including injury-prone sprinter Nobuharu Asahara and Harumi Hiroyama, who narrowly missed a place in the women's marathon squad.
Asahara, former 100-meter national record holder, joins Asian Games gold medalist Koji Ito, who has already been named to the Sydney Olympic team along with hammer thrower Koji Murofushi and 10 other hopefuls.
"I'm simply glad that I made the Olympic team," Asahara said from his training site in Germany.