The city, the site of Narita International Airport, the main international port of entry serving Japan's capital, is set to host 125 American athletes in the build-up to Tokyo 2020. 

Nearly 300 schoolchildren took part in the special training session with Rodgers, a double World Championship silver medallist in the 4x100 metres relay, at the Nakadai Sports Park.

He was joined by hurdler Sharika Nelvis and coach Darryl Woodson. 

"Though [we were] having language barriers, it was exciting to see kids enjoying themselves," Rodgers told the Japan Times. 

"Persistence and discipline are the keys to success.

"But at the end of the day, the most important thing is to enjoy the process of improvement and growth."

The event was attended by four students from Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, an "Arigato" - "Thanks" - host town for American athletes under a US Government initiative.

This designates municipalities in disaster-stricken Tōhoku prefectures to host athletes participating at Tokyo 2020, as a gesture of gratitude for supporting their recovery efforts following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 which killed nearly 16,000 people. 

"Doing different drills is to get kids to utilise different functions of [their] bodies to realise their own hidden capabilities," Woodson told the Japan Times. 

"Knowing that everyone has different concerns, abilities and goals, it is important to cater to individual needs to help each athlete realise their own vision.

The main purpose of the host town programme set-up by Tokyo 2020 is to promote educational and sports exchanges between local residents and visiting athletes and coaches, who will conduct workshops, give lectures and demonstrate their sports through special events.