うたぴょんスポーツThis one wasn't a normal race day. Uta went to try out for Platinum Kids, a talent-scouting program run by Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, to find promising young athletes.
About 1,000 kids apply every year. Only around 40 get in — roughly 20 boys and 20 girls. So for Uta, the question going in was simple: can she finish in the top 20 girls?
How the day went
Uta is 9, born early in 2016, so she's one of the younger kids in her school year group. She's been putting in the work in track this year, and she came into this tryout already with some form behind her — she's currently ranked 10th nationally for 2024 fiscal year third-grade girls over 1000m.
Still, a talent ID day is different from a normal meet. There's no sash to pass, no teammates lined up next to her like in an ekiden, a road relay. It's just her, a stopwatch, and a room full of strangers also hoping to be picked.
The tryout itself
The format is built to be tough on purpose — about 1,000 applicants get filtered down to roughly 40 spots total, split evenly between boys and girls. That means Uta was one of maybe a few hundred girls all chasing one of 20 places.
We don't have her exact result from this particular day to share here — the video itself is really about the challenge of walking in and giving it her best shot under that kind of pressure, not a guaranteed outcome.
What I took from it as her dad
What struck me watching her prepare for this one was how different it felt from a regular race. There's no pacing strategy to lean on, no familiar course. It's closer to an audition than a competition.
I told her beforehand that the only thing she could control was running her own race — not worrying about who else was in the room. Her national ranking tells us she has real speed over 1000m, but tryouts like this also test composure, and that's something that only comes with experience.
Going forward, I want to make sure she gets more chances to compete in unfamiliar settings, not just her usual home meets, so days like this feel a little more normal.
One more thing
Uta also appeared recently on Nstar, a Japanese evening news program, alongside another young runner — a nice reminder that this sport is starting to open doors beyond just the track itself.
We're waiting to hear how the Platinum Kids selection actually turns out, and I'll update here once we know. Either way, just getting through the door to try was worth filming.
The video shows her on tryout day in Saitama — worth a watch if you're curious what a talent scouting event for 9-year-olds actually looks like.