Skip to main content

Japan's Bolt? Frosh Leads Chuo to 4x100m National University Record 38.54 at Kanto Regionals

by Brett Larner

Watch this video and say that you are not impressed:


Chuo Univ., lane 5, wins the men's 4x100m over Waseda Univ., lane 4.

Japanese sprinting keeps moving forward. On the second to last day of the 2010 Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships, May 22 in Tokyo's National Stadium, Chuo University's men's 4x100 m pulled off the biggest upset of the meet so far with a 38.54 national university record win over titan Waseda University thanks to a stunning performance by freshman anchor Shota Iizuka. The unheralded Chuo team's time was not only a record and not only beat Waseda, which features 2009 national champion and World Championships team member Masashi Eriguchi, by exactly one second but would have won last year's American NCAA Div. I National Championships, placed the team 5th in the Beijing Olympics final and 6th in the final of last summer's World Championships.

With Eriguchi on 2nd Waseda had a strong first half, but a great run from Chuo's 3rd runner, junior Hiroyuki Kubota, brought frosh anchor Iizuka into position for the record. The surprisingly tall Iizuka started the anchor leg just a step ahead of Waseda but blazed away to open Chuo's one second margin almost singlehandly. Official splits are unavailable, but in the video above Iizuka appears to clock 9.25 from handoff to crossing the finish line. For a frosh it was a sensational performance and one which makes the first sub-10 by a Japanese runner a strong possibility this season. For complete results click here.

Iizuka finished 2nd to Eriguchi in the 100 m, 10.58 to 10.38, but returned on May 23 to win the 200 m with an impressive final 50 m in which he pulled away with ease to finish in 20.76 to Eriguchi's 21.06.

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

TokyoRacer said…
Wow! Let me be the first to say it: Japan's Usain Bolt.
May 23, 2010 at 2:05 PM
Brett Larner said…
Thanks, I'm going to borrow that for the title. Yes, fantastic stuff. He won the 200 m today as well, outkicking Eriguchi over the last 50 m. I'll post a video later.

I'm not an expert on timing 4x100 legs. If anyone can give me a better estimate of Iizuka's split please do so. 9.25 was the average of multiple hand-timings from the point at which he recieves the baton to crossing the finish.
May 23, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Chepkirui Over Sato Again to Win 2nd-Straight Nagoya Women's Marathon, Chen Breaks Malaysian NR (updated)

This year's Nagoya Women's Marathon felt like a changing of the guard, with some the bigger domestic names over the last few years fading early and a lot of newer faces stepping up with quality debuts or second marathons. The front group was set to be paced for 2:20 flat with the 2nd group at 2:23:30 to hit the auto-qualifying time for the 2027 MGC Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials race in Nagoya. Up front things went out OK, but after a 33:10 split at 10 km Ayuko Suzuki , 2:21:22 here 2 years ago, lost touch, ultimately finishing 23rd in 2:33:28. Windy conditions started to play with pacers' ability to keep things steady and the pace slowed majorly over the next 10 km, but even with a 34:05 second 10 km there were big-name casualties. 2024 Nagoya winner Yuka Ando was next to drop, ending up 17th in 2:30:32. NR holder Honami Maeda was next, followed quickly by Bahraini Kenyan Eunice Chumba and debuting Wakana Kabasawa . Maeda faded to 21st in 2:31:21, whil...
2 comments
Read more

Nagoya Women's Marathon Preview and Streaming (updated)

Japan's winter marathon season of 6 major races in 7-straight weekends wraps up Sunday with the world's largest women-only marathon, the Nagoya Women's Marathon . The weather is looking pretty good, 6˚ at the start rising to 10˚ by the finish and sunny skies, but a moderate 7 m/s NW wind means a headwind finish that might impact the potential for some fast times. Official streaming kicks off at 9:00 a.m. local time. Live results will be here . Sheila Chepkirui won last year in 2:20:40, breaking away from Sayaka Sato and Eunice Chebichii Chumba at 30 km and hanging on for the win. Sato negative split a 2:20:59 PB for 2nd, Chumba fading to 3rd in 2:21:36. All 3 are back this time, but they have pretty serious competition from Aynalem Desta , 2:17:37 in Amsterdam last fall, and Selly Chepyego Kaptich , 2:20:03 in Barcelona 2023. And of course, Japanese NR holder Honami Maeda . Maeda ran 2:18:59 at the Osaka International Women's Marathon in 2024 to make the Paris Oly...
Post a Comment
Read more

16 Women and 26 Men on the Current Olympic Trials Qualifier List

Last weekend's Nagoya Women's Marathon and the Tokyo Marathon the weekend before brought the main part of the first year of qualification for the Marathon Grand Championship Race, Japan's L.A. Olympics marathon trials to be held in Nagoya in October, 2027, to an end. There are still a few races like the Nagano Marathon and overseas World Athletics platinum label races this season where people might qualify, but for the most part we're not likely to see many new additions until August's Hokkaido Marathon, where the qualifying period opened last year. As of right now 16 women and 26 men have qualified, although the first woman to make the cut, Ai Hosoda , announced that she was retiring after Tokyo earlier this month. Out of the 16 women to have qualified so far, Mikuni Yada is the fastest with her 2:19:57 debut at Osaka Women's in January. Including Hosoda that makes 2 qualifiers for the Edion corporate team, but Daihatsu has the biggest share of the field so ...
Post a Comment
Read more