Kiyonari Shibata (Japanese: 柴田 清成; born 27 March 1973) is a Japanese former track and field athlete and middle-distance runner.

Kiyonari Shibata
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Japan
East Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1997 Busan 1500 m
Asian Athletics Championships
Silver medal – second place 1998 Fukuoka 1500 m

He is the current Japanese record holder for the mile run, with a personal best of 3:58.89 minutes.[1] His time, set on 11 May 1996, made him the second Japanese man to run a sub-four-minute mile, after Takashi Ishii, who had done so nearly twenty years earlier in 1977.[2] Shibata's 1500 metres best of 3:39.45 minutes is also among the best times for the event by a Japanese, behind Fumikazu Kobayashi and Ishii.[3][4]

Despite his breaking a long-standing national record, Shibata only won at the Japan Championships in Athletics on one occasion, taking the 1500 m title in 1997.[5] That same year he won a gold medal in the event at the East Asian Games in a then games record time of 3:49.90 minutes.[6] The following year he won the second and final international medal of his career at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships by finishing as runner-up behind multiple Asian champion Mohamed Suleiman.[7] He also ran at the 1998 Asian Games and placed seventh in the 1500 m final.[8]

He represented his home region, Toyama Prefecture, twice at the All-Japan Interprefectural Ekiden Championships.[9]

References

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  1. ^ 男子 Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese). JAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  2. ^ Phillips, Bob (2010-08-18). The Sub-4 Alphabetic Register Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  3. ^ Kobayashi sets national 1000m record. IAAF (2005-06-20). Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  4. ^ Kiyonari Shibata. IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  5. ^ Japanese Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  6. ^ East Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  7. ^ Asian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  8. ^ Daily Results of Asian Games XIII. China People. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
  9. ^ 柴田 清成 シバタ キヨナリ ひろしま男子駅伝 出走履歴. Hiroshima Ekiden. Retrieved on 2014-01-01.
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