Mr. AKAMATSU Ryoichi, a graduate of the Graduate School of Education, Gifu University, ranked 8th in the male high jump category at BUDAPEST 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Hungary from Saturday, August 19 through Sunday, August 27, 2023.

Mr. Akamatsu and Assistant Professor HAYASHI Ryohei (Mr. Akamatsu's personal trainer) visited the Office of the President on Thursday, September 14, 2023, to report Mr. Akamatsu's performances in the preliminary and final competitions to President YOSHIDA Kazuhiro.

In the preliminary competition, Mr. Akamatsu successfully jumped from 214cm to 228cm in his first jump, and advanced to the final as one of the top performers.

In the final competition, Mr. Akamatsu successfully jumped 220cm and 225cm in his first jump, creating a record of 7th consecutive successes from the preliminary competition. He failed to jump 229cm three times, and his final ranking was 8th at the BUDAPEST 2023 World Athletics Championships.

In his meeting with the President, Mr. Akamatsu said, "In the 2022 World Athletics Championships, I failed to advance to the final, so I am happy that I ranked 8th in the high jump at the BUDAPEST World Athletics Championships. I have already set my sights on winning in Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. For starters, I must jump 233cm, which could be the first requirement to participate in the Paris Olympics. President Yoshida congratulated Mr. Akamatsu on his great success and said that everyone is encouraged by Mr. Akamatsu's remarkable performances in world competitions. President Yoshida gave Mr. Akamatsu a strong word of encouragement and wished him and Assistant Professor Yamada the best for Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.