Photo: Citizen59 / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Shota Iizuka is the guy who quietly made Japan's sprint scene a lot more interesting. A 185-centimeter Shizuoka kid who went through Chuo University and came out the other side as the best 200-meter runner the country has produced in modern memory — that's not a trajectory you see coming. I find him fascinating because he never got the ridiculous global fame of some of his relay teammates, yet every time Japan showed up at an Olympics with that 4x100m relay baton, Iizuka was in the mix making the whole thing faster and tighter. There's something I respect about an athlete who specializes this hard on one discipline, puts in the reps year after year, and just keeps showing up on the biggest stages without a lot of fanfare. No crossover celebrity stuff, no noise — just a guy who runs very fast in a straight line and is genuinely great at it.
Overview
Shota Iizuka (born June 25, 1991, in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese track and field athlete specializing in sprinting. He attended Fujieda Meisei Junior and Senior High School and went on to study at Chuo University. Standing 185 cm tall, he has established himself as a prominent figure in Japanese short-distance running.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shota Iizuka
- Name (Japanese)
- 飯塚翔太
- Reading
- いいづか しょうた
- Born
- June 25, 1991 (age 35)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Sheep (未)
- Origin
- Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
- Height
- 185cm
- Occupation
- Track and field athlete / Sprinter
2. Background
- High school
- Fujieda Meisei Junior and Senior High School
- University
- Chuo University
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Shota Iizuka born?
Born June 25, 1991 (age 35).
Where is Shota Iizuka from?
Shota Iizuka is from Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Shota Iizuka do?
Shota Iizuka works as Track and field athlete, Sprinter.
How tall is Shota Iizuka?
Shota Iizuka is 185cm.
Track and field athlete — see all → · Sprinter — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.