# Saori Kitakaze

Saori Kitakaze (北風 沙織, Kitakaze Saori, born April 3, 1985 in Kushiro) is a Japanese track and field sprint athlete who specializes in the 100 metres. She is the joint Japanese record holder in the 4×100 m relay, having run a time of 43.39 seconds alongside Momoko Takahashi, Chisato Fukushima and Kana Ichikawa at the 2011 Seiko Golden Grand Prix.
He first international competitions came in 2004, when she took the bronze medal over 60 metres at the 2004 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships and reached the 100 m semi-finals at that year's World Junior Championships in Athletics. The following year she came fourth at the 2005 East Asian Games before helping the Japanese women to the 4×100 m relay title.
An appearance on the continental stage followed at the 2006 Asian Games (where she was seventh in the 100 m final) and a relay silver medal came at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships. Kitakaze earned her first global level selection for Japan that year, but her relay team was disqualified in the preliminary rounds of the 2007 World Championships in Athletics.

## Personal bests

| Event | Time | Wind | Venue | Date |
| Outdoor |||||
| 100 m | 11.42 s | +1.7 m/s | Hiroshima, Japan | 29 April 2008 |
| 200 m | 24.55 s | -0.6 m/s | Sapporo, Japan | 27 May 2007 |
| Indoor |||||
| 60 m | 7.52 s | | Teheran, Iran | 6 February 2004 |

## Records

* 4×100 m relay
** Current Japanese record holder - 43.39 s (relay leg:1st) (Kawasaki, 8 May 2011)
    $^a$ with Momoko Takahashi, Chisato Fukushima, and Kana Ichikawa

## Competition record

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Japan ||||||
| 2004 | Asian Indoor Championships | Tehran, Iran | 3rd | 60 m | 7.52 |
| 2004 | World Junior Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 20th (sf) | 100 m | 12.00 (wind: +0.1 m/s) |
| 2004 | World Junior Championships | Grosseto, Italy | 20th (h) | 4×100 m relay | 45.80 (relay leg: 4th) NJR |
| 2005 | East Asian Games | Macau, China | 4th | 100 m | 12.02 (wind: -1.3 m/s) |
| 2005 | East Asian Games | Macau, China | 1st | 4×100 m relay | 44.88 (relay leg: 1st) |
| 2006 | Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 7th | 100 m | 11.94 (wind: +0.2 m/s) |
| 2007 | Asian Championships | Amman, Jordan | 8th | 100 m | 11.76 (wind: +3.1 m/s) |
| 2007 | Asian Championships | Amman, Jordan | 2nd | 4×100 m relay | 45.06 (relay leg: 4th) |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | – (h) | 4×100 m relay | DQ (relay leg: 1st) |
| 2013 | Asian Championships | Pune, India | 2nd | 4×100 m relay | 44.38 (relay leg: 1st) |
| 2014 | World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | 18th (h) | 4×100 m relay | 44.66 (relay leg: 1st) |
| 2015 | Asian Championships | Wuhan, China | 2nd | 4×100 m relay | 44.14 (relay leg: 1st) |

### National Championship

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| 2004 | Japan Championships | Tottori, Tottori | 8th | 100 m | 11.92 (wind: +1.1 m/s) |
| 2005 | Japan Championships | Tokyo | 6th (sf) | 100 m | 11.93 (wind: +0.5 m/s) |
| 2006 | Japan Championships | Kobe, Hyōgo | 5th | 100 m | 11.97 (wind: -1.0 m/s) |
| 2007 | Japan Championships | Osaka, Osaka | 2nd | 100 m | 11.66 (wind: 0.0 m/s) |
| 2008 | Japan Championships | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | 6th | 100 m | 11.90 (wind: +0.4 m/s) |
| 2009 | Japan Championships | Hiroshima, Hiroshima | – (sf) | 100 m | DNS |
| 2010 | Japan Championships | Marugame, Kagawa | 6th | 100 m | 11.76 (wind: +0.9 m/s) |
| 2011 | Japan Championships | Kumagaya, Saitama | 7th | 100 m | 11.88 (wind: -0.6 m/s) |
| 2012 | Japan Championships | Osaka, Osaka | 11th (h) | 100 m | 11.81 (wind: 0.0 m/s) |
| 2013 | Japan Championships | Chōfu, Tokyo | 3rd | 100 m | 11.74 (wind: 0.0 m/s) |
| 2014 | Japan Championships | Fukushima, Fukushima | 9th (h) | 100 m | 11.92 (wind: +0.7 m/s) |
| 2015 | Japan Championships | Niigata, Niigata | 8th | 100 m | 12.00 (wind: -0.3 m/s) |
| 2016 | Japan Championships | Nagoya, Aichi | 16th (h) | 100 m | 12.18 (wind: -1.7 m/s) |