Yamanishi, a 26-year-old student of physics at Kyoto University, joined the World Athletics body with 494 votes.

Of the other five newly-elected members, Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio, European 100 metres champion in 2012, earned the highest number of votes, 615, from Ukraine’s current European women’s 400m hurdles silver medallist Anna Ryzhykova, who earned 607 votes.

The Swiss athlete who beat Ryzhykova to gold at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Lea Sprunger, secured 585 votes, Dutch sprinter Lisanne de Witte got 560 votes and Canada’s 2015 Pan American 3,000m steeplechase champion Matthew Hughes garnered 555 votes.

The newly-elected members will fill the spots of the following outgoing Athletes' Commission members - Inaki Gomez of Canada, Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Poland’s Adam Kszczot, Thomas Rohler of Germany, Ivana Vuleta (nee Spanovic) of Serbia and Australia’s Benita Willis.

Outgoing and newly-elected members will participate in a handover meeting in November this year together with the continuing Commission members, currently headed by France’s former pole vault world record holder Renaud Lavillenie and New Zealand’s double Olympic and four-times world shot put champion Dame Valerie Adams, respective chair and deputy chair, who both have positions on the World Athletics Council.

"I would like to congratulate and welcome the six newly-elected members to our Athletes’ Commission and thank every athlete who has stood for election and who participated in the vote," said Adams, who was actively involved in promoting the elections on-site in Eugene.

"With every year, the voice of the athletes becomes more powerful and proactive when it comes to promoting and advocating for athletes’ rights at a leadership level.

"I am sure the newly-elected members will greatly contribute to the future of our sport, with the athlete community in mind."

Since 2019, the chair and one other member of the Athletes’ Commission - one man and one woman - have been full voting members of the World Athletics Council.

This year’s elections were postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and further elections will be held next year during the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, where six new members will be elected.

Six additional members will also be appointed by the World Athletics Council to bring the number back to its intended 18.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: "The athlete’s voice has been enshrined in our governance structure for the past three years through the Athletes’ Commission and I am appreciative of the substantial contribution the Commission makes to our discussions at Council level.

"I would like to welcome the six new members of the Commission and thank the six departing members for their service to our sport.

"With another election next year in Budapest, I would like to encourage more athletes to consider becoming involved in the decision-making of our sport."