Skip to main content

Fujimoto Gets Another Shot at the Top - National University Ekiden Qualifier

by Brett Larner

Little-known Kokushikan University junior Taku Fujimoto's win at last month's Kanto Regional University T&F Championships 5000 m was one of the meet's highlights. Sitting patiently behind the leaders throughout the race, Fujimoto rocketed away from favorite Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) with one lap to go to win in a sizeable PB of 13:38.68, exactly tying Murasawa's PB. After the race Murasawa challenged Fujimoto to repeat the feat this season over 10000 m. His chance comes this Saturday at the 2010 National University Ekiden Kanto Regional Qualifiers at Tokyo's National Stadium.

November's National University Ekiden is one of the peaks of the fall season. For schools which miss the top-scoring seeded bracket, late June means once more through the regional qualifiers. What makes the Kanto qualifiers one of the most entertaining events on the Japanese calendar is the format: four heats of 10000 m in one evening, each heat containing two runners from each of the twenty Kanto-region schools competing for a Nationals spot. Each team's score is the sum of all eight runners' times, meaning every single man in the field is racing the clock rather than for place. Most schools stack the fourth heat with their two best runners, making that heat one of the most competitive Japanese 10000 m of the year. With cheering squads in the stands and supporters lining the track the atmosphere is raucous and noisy, diminished only slightly by last year's move from the tight-packed Oda Field to the more spacious National Stadium.

Out of forty runners in the fourth heat, ten feature PBs under 29 minutes and another eleven hold marks under 29:30. Jobu University ace Yusuke Hasegawa has the best mark by a considerable margin, but a subpar performance at May's Kanto Regional Championships puts him at risk of falling to Kanto B-heat 5000 and 10000 m double winner Duncan Mozay of Takushoku University. Mozay beat Nittai University's Kazuya Deguchi for that 10000 m title, leaving Kokushikan's Masaki Ito, Mozay's teammate John Maina, Murasawa and Fujimoto, and Murasawa's teammate Tsubasa Hayakawa as the next group of contenders. As with their identical 5000 m PBs, Murasawa and Fujimoto have nearly the same bests for 10000 m. Considering, though, that neither has raced a serious 10000 m this season and that their 5000 m marks were both sizable bests set this spring it is reasonable to think both Murasawa and Fujimoto will be in contention for the top position.

Curiously, Tokai's current best 10000 m runner Asuka Tanaka, who holds a PB of 28:40.96, is listed as an alternate, a likely indication of injury troubles. Nittai's best runner Takuya Noguchi, with a PB of 28:30.06, is slated for the third heat after a weak showing at May's Kanto meet. Several other schools including Josai University, Chuo Gakuin University and Juntendo University have put their best people into the third heat, meaning that that round should also be fast. JRN will be on-site to provide video coverage of the races. Check back Sunday for complete results.

2010 National University Ekiden Kanto Regional Qualifer - Heat Four Top Entrants
Yusuke Hasegawa (4th yr., Jobu Univ.) - 28:13.92
Duncan Mozay (1st yr., Takushoku Univ.) - 28:20.76
Kazuya Deguchi (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 28:34.02
Masaki Ito (3rd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:38.69
John Maina (1st yr., Takushoku Univ.) - 28:42.02
Akinobu Murasawa (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:44.23
Taku Fujimoto (3rd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:44.88
Tsubasa Hayakawa (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:47.37
Ryota Nakamura (4th yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 28:49.20
Junya Kinoshita (3rd yr., Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 28:50.53
Kenta Matsubara (2nd yr., Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 29:00.36
Shinji Ando (4th yr., Teikyo Univ.) - 29:08.41
Koji Kobayashi (4th yr., Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 29:14.98
Naoto Miyagawa (3rd yr., Asia Univ.) - 29:18.30
Shota Hattori (1st yr., Nittai Univ.) - 29:19.99
Ryusei Sakaguchi (3rd yr., Jobu Univ.) - 29:22.09
Dai Nakahara (2nd yr., Josai Univ.) - 29:23.76
Kota Nibe (4th yr., Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 29:24.02
Yuta Igarashi (4th yr., Senshu Univ.) - 29:24.56
Hideyuki Tanaka (2nd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 29:25.01
Ikki Takeuchi (1st yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:26.17

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Keita Sato Joins Swoosh TC

After appearing at a Nike event on Apr. 3, U20 1500 m NR and indoor 3000 m and 5000 m NR holder Keita Sato , 22, updated his Instagram profile to announce that he is joining Nike's Swoosh TC . At the Nike event Sato said that he plans to run the 1500 m at the Apr. 11 Kanaguri Memorial Meet, then will move to the U.S. "To be successful at the global level I need to train and grow alongside world-class athletes," he said. "I have to take every day seriously in order to achieve that dream of being internationally competitive." Swoosh TC was founded last year. Its coach Mike Smith has guided many athletes to international championships, including prior to Swoosh TC's launch, with some earning medals and podium finishes under his leadership. photo © 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved source article: https://www.rikujyokyogi.co.jp/archives/204241/2 translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more

Updates on Transfers

April 1 is the start of Japan's new academic and fiscal year, and there's always a wave of transfer announcements to go with it. Some notable ones yesterday: 800 m NR holder Rin Kubo skipped university to go straight to 2023 Queens Ekiden national champion Sekisui Kagaku after her graduation from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. Multiple NR holder Nozomi Tanaka rejoined the Toyota Jidoshokki women's team after having left it to pursue a solo pro career as a New Balance athlete. Already on the team for this fall's Nagoya Asian Games in the 10000 m, Ririka Hironaka announced a switch from her longtime home at Japan Post to the Uniqlo women's team. Collegiate marathon record holder Asahi Kuroda joined the 2026 national champion GMO corporate team after graduating from 2026 Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University last week. Hakone Ekdien First Stage CR holder Rui Aoki joins the Sumitomo Denko corporate team after running his final race for 2025 Izumo Ekiden w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Weekend Track Roundup

There were 2 decently competitive meets in the Tokyo area this weekend. Saturday saw the new year's first edition of the Setagaya Time Trials meet. Takuma Akiyoshi took the men's 3000 m A-heat over his MABP Maverick teammate Festus Kiprono Cheruiyot with a 7:58.32 PB. Cheruiyot just held off 3rd-placer Nao Kurihara 7:59.92 to 8:00.02, with MABP runners taking the top 5 spots. The top 7 in the men's 5000 m A-heat all cleared 14 minutes. Still a 6-way race with 400 m to go, Tatsuya Maruyama of Komori Corp. came out on top in 13:48.49, with 5th-placer Kazuki Ishii of Yakult just over a second behind in 13:49.63. Lacking the gear to stay with them, new American marathon sensation Ethan Shuley fell back to 6th in 13:57.12 in his first-ever track 5000 m, holding off 7th-placer Daiki Nomimura of NTT Nishi Nihon who came up from behind to finish in 13:58.30. Sunday was the 59th edition of the Tokyo Big 6 meet between Waseda University , Meiji University , Hosei Univers...
Post a Comment
Read more