Asuka Cambridge

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image = Asuka Cambridge and Trayvon Bromell Rio 2016.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Cambridge at the 2016 Olympics

| full_name = Asuka Antonio Cambridge

| nickname = Aska

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1993|5|31}}

| birth_place = Spanish Town, Jamaica

| height = 1.79 m

| weight = 74 kg

| country = {{JPN}}

| sport = Athletics

| event = 100 m, 200 m

| pb = 100 m – 10.03 (2020)
200 m – 20.62 (2013){{cite web|title=Aska Cambridge IAAF profile |publisher=IAAF |url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/japan/aska-cambridge-263932 |access-date=26 June 2016}}
400 m – 52.19 (2009)

| medaltemplates =

}}

{{nihongo|Asuka Antonio "Aska" Cambridge|ケンブリッジ飛鳥|Kenburijji Asuka|4=born 31 May 1993}} is a Jamaican-born Japanese track and field sprinter who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. His personal best of 10.03 in the 100m gives him Japan's 6th fastest time. He is a two-time East Asian Games gold medallist and a relay bronze medallist at the World Junior Championships in Athletics. His mother is Japanese and his father is Jamaican.Reid, Paul A. (13 August 2016). [http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Jamaica-spreading-its-Men-s-100m-talent-across-the-globe_70549 Jamaica spreading its Men's 100m talent across the globe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812213444/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Jamaica-spreading-its-Men-s-100m-talent-across-the-globe_70549 |date=12 August 2017 }}. Jamaica Observer.

In the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Cambridge was part of the 4 × 100 m relay for Japan, which took the silver medal in the final.

Biography

Cambridge was born in Jamaica to a Japanese mother and a Jamaican father. His given name Asuka generally signifies "flying bird" in Japanese language and has also been a city name and period name in Ancient Japan (see Asuka period).Nagatsuka, Kaz (4 June 2016). [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/06/04/more-sports/track-field/cambridge-dreaming-big-future/ Cambridge dreaming of big future]. Japan Times.

When he was 2 years old, his family moved from Jamaica to Osaka, Japan. He played football until the age of twelve. When he was fourteen, he moved to Tokyo from Osaka.

Cambridge then focused on athletics, running sprinting events for his high school in Tokyo and later at Nihon University, where he studied literature and science. He was fourth in the 100 m at the 2011 National Sports Festival of Japan.[http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/atm.php?ID=132843&Season=2012&Odd=0 Asuka Cambridge]. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 22 December 2013. At the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics he narrowly missed out on the 200 m final,[http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-junior-championships/14th-iaaf-world-junior-championships-4872/results/men/200-metres/semi-final/summary#resultheader 2098 World Junior Championships Men's 200000 metres semi-final]. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 December 2013. but he excelled in the relay alongside Kazuma Oseto, Akiyuki Hashimoto and Kazuki Kanamori – the team ran an Asian junior record of 39.01 seconds in the heats (the fastest of all the qualifiers) and were just one hundredth slower in the final, where they claimed the bronze medals.[http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-junior-championships/14th-iaaf-world-junior-championships-4872/results/men/4x100-metres-relay/heats 2012 World Junior Championships 4x100 Metres Relay – men]. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 December 2013.[http://www.jaaf.or.jp/english/junior_national/index.html JAPAN National Junior Records]. JAAF. Retrieved on 22 December 2013.

In 2013, Cambridge improved his personal best to 10.33 seconds for the 100 m and 20.62 seconds for the 200 m. He won his first international gold medals at the 2013 East Asian Games by beating compatriot Shōta Iizuka in the 200 m and then teaming up with his rival to help secure the 4×100 metres relay title for Japan. Their time of 38.44 seconds was a new East Asian Games record – an improvement of nearly half a second.Mulkeen, Jon (10 October 2013). [http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/chinese-athletes-dominate-on-home-soil-at-eas Chinese athletes dominate on home soil at East Asian Games]. IAAF. Retrieved on 22 December 2013.

On 25 June 2016, Cambridge won the 100 m final at the Japan Championships in 10.16 to qualify for the Rio Olympics.[http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003041204 Studying leads Cambridge to Rio]. The Japan News. Retrieved on 29 June 2016.

On 19 August 2016, Cambridge won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay for Japan at the 2016 Summer Olympics by setting a new Asian record of 37.60 seconds with teammates Ryōta Yamagata, Yoshihide Kiryū, and Shōta Iizuka.{{Cite news|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/20/olympics/summer-olympics/bolt-completes-triple-triple-jamaicas-gold-4x100-relay-japan-makes-history-taking-silver/|title=Bolt completes triple-triple with Jamaica's gold in 4×100 relay; Japan makes history by taking silver|last=Mckirdy|first=Andrew|date=20 August 2016|newspaper=The Japan Times Online|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|access-date=2016-08-20|archive-date=20 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820031435/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2016/08/20/olympics/summer-olympics/bolt-completes-triple-triple-jamaicas-gold-4x100-relay-japan-makes-history-taking-silver/|url-status=dead}}

On 29 August 2020, Cambridge won the 100m final with a new personal best of 10.03 at the Athlete Night Games in Fukui.[https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200829/k10012590921000.html].NHK news. Retrieved on 28 August 2020.

Japan's top 10 records for men's 100m

Rank	Time (sec)	Wind (m/s)	Athlete	Team	Place	Date
class="wikitable"
1	9.97	+0.8	Abdul Hakim Sani Brown	NCAA Championships	Austin	7 June 2019
2	9.98	+1.8	Yoshihide Kiryu	Toyo University	Fukui	9 September 2017
rowspan=3\|3 \|rowspan=3\|10.00	+1.9	Koji Ito	Fujitsu	Bangkok	13 December 1998
\|+0.2	rowspan=2\|Ryota Yamagata	Seiko Holdings	Osaka	24 September 2017
+0.7	Japan	Jakarta	26 August 2018
5	10.02	+2.0	Nobuharu Asahara	Osaka Gas	Oslo	13 July 2001
rowspan=2\|6 \|rowspan=2\|10.03	+1.8	Shingo Suetsugu	Tokai University	Mito	5 May 2003
\|+1.0	Asuka Cambridge	Nike	Fukui	29 August 2020
rowspan=2\|8 \|rowspan=2\|10.07	+1.9	Masashi Eriguchi	Waseda University	Hiroshima	28 June 2009
\|+1.8	Shuhei Tada	Kwansei Gakuin University	Fukui	9 September 2017
10	10.08	+1.9	Shota Iizuka	Mizuno	Totori	4 June 2017

References

External links

{{World Athletics|name=Aska Cambridge}}
{{JAAF|aska_cambridge|Aska Cambridge}}
{{Olympics.com|aska-cambridge|Aska Cambridge}}
{{Olympedia|name=Aska Cambridge}}
{{Team Japan|olympic/riodejaneiro/sports/athletics/team/cambridgeaskaantonio|Asuka Cambridge}}
{{Instagram|c_aska9|Aska Cambridge}}
{{Official website|https://aska-cambridge.com/}}

Category:Living people

Category:1993 births

Category:Japanese male sprinters

Category:Olympic male sprinters

Category:Olympic athletes for Japan

Category:Olympic silver medalists for Japan

Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field)

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Japan

Category:Asian Games athletes for Japan

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Asian Games