Mediocre performances in the pool and at the track featured prominently in Japan's disappointing run at the Asian Games that ended yesterday.
Japan came into Busan with a goal of taking home 65 golds of the 427 awarded, but won only 44, finishing third behind powerhouse China and rival South Korea.
A slow start in the pool, where Japan won only 11 gold medals to China's 20, set the tone for a more dismal performance in athletics.
Koji Murofushi won the men's hammer throw and Shingo Suetsugu took gold in the men's 200m but they were the only gold medal winners in athletics.
"Unfortunately, we didn't do well in athletics," Japan's delegation leader Teruji Kogake said yesterday. "We won 12 gold medals in Bangkok four years ago but could only manage two this time."
Japanese were expecting to win gold on the second-to-last day of competition in women's marathon and the men's 400m relay but were upstaged by North Korean marathoner Ham Pong Sil and let down by a sloppy baton exchange in the relay.
Kogake said the level of competition is Asian sports is getting higher. "With the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China's athletes are very strong and South Korea was also very tough here as the host nation,'' said Kogake.
There were some brighter moments. Kosuke Kitajima's world record in swimming and Kosei Inoue's gold medal in men's judo were cause for celebration back home.
Kitajima had a time of 2 minutes, 09.97 seconds in the 200 breaststroke, becoming the first Japanese male swimmer to set a world record in 30 years. He led all Japanese athletes with three medals.
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