Wanjiru World Junior Lead, Kiryu Undefeated in 200 m as Records Fall in Second Half of National High School Championships

by Brett Larner

After winning the 1500 m in 4:09.90 to find herself ranked 5th in the world among juniors over that distance, Aomori Yamada High School's Rosemary Wanjiru was back in the 3000 m with the performance of the meet on the final day of the Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships in Oita, outclassing her competition by over fifteen seconds to win in a personal best, meet record and world junior-leading 8:49.32. With her nearest competition, Sendai Ikuei High School ringer Mariam Waithira just holding off top-ranked Japanese runner Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) for 2nd in 9:04.68, Wanjiru continued a steady progression over the last years that suggests she is a prime candidate to follow in the footsteps of Aomori Yamada's most famous Kenyan graduate, two-time Olympian Lucy Wangui Kabuu.

Plenty of other events over the second half of the championships likewise saw meet records, making this year one of the most competitive on record. Most notably, in the boys' 110 m hurdles final Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) set a national high school record and meet record 13.92 s (+0.4 m/s), the only boy to clear 14 seconds. After running undefeated through the heats, semis and finals of the 100 m and 4x100 m relay, Yoshihide Kiryu (Rakunan H.S.) continued his winning streak through the qualifying rounds of the boys' 200 m before setting a meet record 20.66 s (-1.4 m/s) to win the final. As in the girls' walks, the boys' 5000 m racewalk saw a new meet record of 20:55.24 as Toshikazu Nishiyama (Horikawa H.S.) held off Takahiro Hiwada (Shikama Kogyo H.S.) for the win. Ryoma Yamamoto (Isahaya Nogyo H.S.) also pulled out a meet record 15.79 m (-1.3 m/s) in the boys' triple jump.

For a breakdown of the major results from the first half of the National High School Track and Field Championships, click here. Complete results are available here. Reader Bruce Carrick gives a detailed breakdown sure to bring many down of how the Japanese high school results stack up against the best of the U.S. here, well worth a read for a more complete picture of the overall health of Japanese high school athletics. As Carrick says of the girls' 3000 m, "You'd have to go to USA big school (NCAA Div 1) collegiates to see a race of this caliber."

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Wanjiru Breaks Own MR, Fuwa and Ishida Return - Kanto Regionals Day 1 Highlights

Japan's best college meet kicked off Thursday at Tokyo's National Stadium at the 103rd Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships . Looking like she was doing a controlled tempo run, 2nd-yr Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) lapped the entire field to win the women's 10000 m in a meet record 32:02.87, almost 15 seconds under the record she last year in her debut. 3rd-yr Aoi Takahashi (Josai Univ.) was 2nd in 33:29.22 and 2nd-yr Nana Nagashima (Josai Kokusai Univ.) 3rd in a PB 33:30.28, but the other main news alongside Wanjiru's new record was the return of collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) in her first 10000 m in 19 months. Fuwa hung at the back of the chase pack for the first half, made a move to lead it in the second half, and ultimately faded to 9th in 33:40.20. Every comeback has to start somewhere. The D1 men's 10000 m had a tight group up front with the top 6 all finishing within 6 seconds and under 28:10. 3rd-yr Jam

Two-Time Olympic Marathon Medalist Erick Wainaina Referred to Prosectors on Suspicion of Assault

According to investigators, two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina has had his case referred to prosecutors after allegedly injuring a railway employee by striking him in the face at a station in Setagaya, Tokyo. Wainaina, 50, was the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Wainaina is suspected of assaulting a woman in her late teens and a male Tokyu Denentoshi Line employee by hitting them in the face during an altercation at Komazawa University Station in March this year, resulting in minor injuries to the man's face. According to investigators, the incident began on the train between Wainaina and the woman, and after getting off at Komazawa University Station he hit her in the face when she asked him to go to the station office with her to report it. When the male railway employee responded to the situation Wainaina reportedly hit him too. In response to questioning Wainaina is said to have answered,

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey

japan running news

Search This Blog