Skip to main content

Jobu University Ace Hasegawa to Join Team S&B

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/event/sports/news/20101213-OHT1T00247.htm

translated by Brett Larner

On Dec. 13 Jobu University's ekiden team held a workout session at the school's track in Isesaki, Gunma prefecture as it prepares for the Jan. 2-3 Hakone Ekiden. Speaking to the media at the workout, the team's captain and senior ace Yusuke Hasegawa, holder of the fastest 10000 m time of the year by a Japanese university student, revealed that he has signed to join the elite Team S&B following his graduation in March.

Hasegawa, the national university 1500 m champion as a sophomore, is a top-class speed runner among university athletes. At November's Nittai University Time Trials meet he ran a 10000 m PB of 28:07.47, the best of the year by a Japanese student and all-time #8 on the collegiate 10000 m rankings. Having led Jobu from scratch to Hakone in a remarkably short time, head coach Katsuhiko Hanada, a former S&B star himself, will continue to serve as Hasegawa's coach in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.

Before that, Hasegawa has one major score to settle: Hakone. At the last Hakone Ekiden Hasegawa ran the Third Stage, but shortly before the race he began experiencing trouble with the back of his left leg and ended up a "disastrous" 19th on the stage. "I blew it for everybody else on the team," Hasegawa says. "This time I'm going to be there with my best game." Coach Hanada revealed that Hasegawa will run the ace Second Stage. "I want him to break my best time on the Second Stage (1:08:16 for 23.2 km)."

Hasegawa has also received advice from two former Second Stage stars who will become his new teammates in April: Waseda alum Kensuke Takezawa, 24, and Josai alum Yuta Takahashi, 23. "They told me to start with a good pace and then progessively push it," Hasegawa says. With this advice in hand he hopes to help deliver Jobu its first finish in the seeded bracket (top ten).

Yusuke Hasegawa -- Born June 8, 1988 in Tainai, Niigata prefecture. 22. Business information major at Jobu University. Began running at a first-year at Kurokawa J.H.S. Ran the 1500 m and 5000 m at the 2006 National High School Championships as senior at Tokyo Gakukan Niigata H.S. Entered Jobu in 2007. 2008 National University 1500 m champion. 5000 m PB of 13:40.83. 174 cm, 55 kg. Lives with parents and brother.

Translator's note: Team S&B, which includes marathon great Toshihiko Seko on its coaching staff and which does not participate in ekidens, will now include:

Yusuke Hasegawa - 13:40.83 / 28:07.47
Bitan Karoki - 13:23.85 / 27:23.62
Yuta Takahashi - 13:31.37
Kensuke Takezawa - 13:19.00 / 27:45.59
Yuichiro Ueno - 13:21.49

along with a group of 13:40's / mid-28 men.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

World Marathon Majors Japanese Entries

We're back from a short summer break. A week and a half out from the first race of the season's four World Marathon Majors races, here's a look at Japanese athletes scheduled to run. Everything right now is about qualifying for the MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to be held in the fall of 2027 in Nagoya. The JAAF makes no mistake about wanting to keep its top people racing domestically where it can get a share of revenue from the TV broadcast and race operations, so anyone who decides to race overseas has to do it in a WA platinum label race and hit either 2:06:30 or 2:23:30, regardless of place, course or weather if they want to make the trials. At the same time concessions are make for domestic races, like for example the late-August Hokkaido Marathon where up to 3 men and 3 women can qualify if they go 2:12:00 or 2:32:00. As a result, you get things like last year where amateur runner Yudai Fukuda made the trials by finishing 3rd Jap...
1 comment
Read more

Nakajima Breaks 100 mH NR Twice, Kitaguchi Returns - August Track Roundup

Catching up on what's been happening in track and field this month during our summer break: Men's 3000 m NR holder Nagiya Mori was just off his 5000 m PB at the IFAM Oordegem meet in Belgium on Aug. 1, taking 16th in 13:15.01. Shota Nakano was 26th of 28 in 13:35.02. This year's national champion Ryoma Aoki ran the 3000 mSC but didn't finish. Naoto Hasegawa was the only Japanese athlete at Mutaz Essa Barshim 's What Gravity Tour stop at the Monaco Athletics Festival meet on Aug. 5. Having cleared 2.30 m for the first time earlier this year Hasegawa only managed 2.18 m in Monaco, taking 7th of 10. There were a lot of good performances at the Fuji Hokuriku World Trial meet in Fujiyoshida on Aug. 9, but the one that got the headlines was a 12.62 (-0.2) NR in the women's 100 mH by Hitomi Nakajima . Nakajima actually did it twice, running 12.62 (+2.0) in the heats before repeating in the final. Masumi Aoki also ran big in the heats, with a 12.68 (+2.0) for al...
1 comment
Read more

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more