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Kiryu and Kitamura the Stars of 86th National University Track and Field Championships



Front-page news and the top story in just about every mainstream Japanese media outlet, the 2017 National University Track and Field Championships in Fukui will always be remembered for the first-ever Japanese men's legal sub-10 clocking in the 100 m from Toyo University 4th-year Yoshihide Kiryu. After his historic 9.98 (+1.8 m/s) national record, Kiryu wrapped his university career by anchoring Toyo's 4x100 m team to a 2nd-place finish and making a major contribution to Toyo's solid 3rd-place in final overall university scoring.



His London World Championships 4x100 m teammate Shuhei Tada (Kwansei Gakuin University) was also in good form, breaking Kiryu's old meet record in the 100 m in 10.07 and anchoring Kwansei Gakuin to 3rd in the 4x100 m. But there was no shortage of other record-breaking performances at this year's Nationals.



Biggest among those came in the women's 800 m where Nittai University 4th-year Yume Kitamura set a meet and national university record 2:00.92 for a dominant win by over 4 seconds. Kitamura's time was the second-fastest ever by a Japanese woman over 800 m, missing Miho Sugimori's 12-year-old national record by just 0.47 seconds. Opening the door to the possibility of the first Japanese women's sub-2 minute 800 m, Kitamura's performance also led the Nittai women to the overall team win at this year's Nationals.

Women's National University Championships meet records also went in the javelin throw and heptathlon. In the javelin, Nihon University 2nd-year Haruka Kitaguchi continued her rise, both she and national university record holder Marina Saito (Kokushikan Univ.) breaking Saito's meet record but Kitaguchi getting the win with a throw of 60.49 m. National university record and meet record holder Meg Hemphill (Chuo Univ.) was a DNS in the heptathlon, but Kyushu Kyoritsu University 4th-year Yuki Yamasaki delivered a surprise, breaking Hemphill's meet record by 3 points to win with a total score of 5550.



Along with Kitamura's record in the women's 800 m, the men's 800 m meet record also fell. Juntendo University 4th-year Takumi Murashima ran 1:47.92 to take 0.19 off one of the oldest Nationals meet records set back in 1997 by Tomohiro Kitamura. Murashima's win was a contributing factor in Juntendo's 2nd-place overall finish.

In the men's long jump, Toyo 2nd-year Hibiki Tsuha lucked out with a +2.0 m/s wind to break the meet record with a jump of 8.09 m. 2nd-placer Natsuki Yamakawa (Nihon Univ.) also cleared the old record, jumping 8.06 m (+1.9 m/s). In the men's pole vault, Chukyo University 4th-year cleared 5.60 m to tie the meet record set in 2013 by Chukyo's Seito Yamamoto, now one of Japan's top pros. Nihon University 1st-year Masaki Ejima closed out an excellent first season by clearing 5.50 m for 2nd.



Special mention also goes out to Rio Olympian Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) in the men's 3000 m steeplechase. Shiojiri ran the fastest time ever in the steeplechase by a Japanese runner at Nationals, 8:34.80, to win, missing the meet record by just over a second. Shiojiri delivered in the steeplechase despite having already run in the 10000 m, where he was 4th in 28:47.50.

86th National University Track and Field Championships

Fukui Sports Park Field, Fukui, Sept. 8-10, 2017
click here for complete results

Men

Overall University Placing
1. Nihon Univ. - 99
2. Juntendo Univ. - 68
3. Toyo Univ. - 65
4. Tokai Univ. - 54
5. Chukyo Univ. - 46

Men's 100 m Final +1.8 m/s
1. Yoshihide Kiryu (4th yr., Toyo Univ.) - 9.98 - NR,, NURMR
2. Shuhei Tada (3rd yr., Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) - 10.07 - (MR)
3. Ippei Takeda (Chuo Univ.) - 10.31

Men's 200 m Final +1.6 m/s
1. Yuki Koike (4th yr., Keio Univ.) - 20.58
2. Yusuke Tanaka (2nd yr., Nihon Wellness Univ.) - 20.62
3. Jun Yamashita (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.77

Men's 400 m Final
1. Julian Walsh (3rd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 46.80
2. Yuma Takahashi (4th yr., Kinki Univ.) - 47.65
3. Fumiya Yoshioka (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 47.67

Men's 800 m Final
1. Takumi Murashima (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:47.92 - MR
2. Takuma Kuroki (2nd yr., Kinki Univ.) - 1:49.41
3. Kazuyoshi Tamogami (2nd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 1:49.51

Men's 1500 m Final
1. Shoma Funatsu (2nd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 4:01.31
2. Shohei Shimizu (3rd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 4:01.46
3. Kazuyoshi Tamogami (2nd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 4:01.51

Men's 5000 m Final
1. Ledama Kesaisa (2nd yr., Obirin Univ.) - 13:35.19
2. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 13:45.60
3. Ryohei Sakaguchi (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 13:47.85

Men's 10000 m Final
1. Simon Kariuki (3rd yr., Nihon Yakka Univ.) - 28:20.50
2. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 28:21.85
3. Kazuya NIshiyama (1st yr., Toyo Univ.) - 28:44.88

Men's 110 m Hurdles Final +3.0 m/s
1. Taio Kanai (4th yr., Hosei Univ.) - 13.46
2. Shuhei Ishikawa (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 13.56
3. Anthony Kuriki (3rd yr., Kokusai Budo Univ.) - 13.66

Men's 400 m Hurdles Final
1. Yoshiro Watanabe (3rd yr., Josai Univ.) - 49.80
2. Tatsuhiro Yamamoto (2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 50.29
3. Kakeru Inoue (4th yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 50.36

Men's 3000 m Steeplechase Final
1. Kazuya Shiojiri (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 8:34.80
2. Shuto Mikami (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 8:45.45
3. Seiya Shigeno (3rd yr., Seisa Doto  Univ.) - 8:47.42

Men's 4x100 m Relay Final
1. Chuo Univ. - 39.40
2. Toyo Univ. - 39.42
3. Kwansei Gakuin Univ. - 39.58

Men's 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Toyo Univ. - 3:07.15
2. Chukyo Univ. - 3:08.16
3. Daito Bunka Univ. - 3:08.26

Men's 10000 m Race Walk Final
1. Toshikazu Yamanishi (4th yr., Kyoto Univ.) - 40:22.28
2. Koki Ikeda (1st yr., Toyo Univ.) - 40:28.48
3. Fumitaka Oikawa (4th yr., Toyo Univ.) - 40:32.57

Men's High Jump Final
1. Ryoichi Akamatsu (4th yr., Gifu Univ.) - 2.21 m
2. Keitaro Fujita (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 2.18 m
3. Tomohiro Shinno (3rd yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 2.18 m

Men's Pole Vault Final
1. Kota Suzuki (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 5.60 m - MR
2. Masaki Ejima (1st yr., Nihon Univ.) - 5.50 m
3. Koki Kuruma (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 5.50 m

Men's Long Jump Final
1. Hibiki Tsuha (2nd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 8.09 m +2.0 m/s - MR
2. Natsuki Yamakawa (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 8.06 m +1.9 m/s (MR)
3. Tazuma Kawashima (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 7.97 m +2.5 m/s

Men's Triple Jump Final
1. Ryoma Yamamoto (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 16.77 m +2.7 m/s
2. Kohei Nakayama (1st yr., Chukyo Univ. Grad School) - 16.19 m +2.8 m/s
3. Yuma Okabe (1st yr., Fukuoka Univ. Grad School) - 15.99 m +2.1 m/s

Men's Shot Put Final
1. Reiji Takeda (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 17.48 m
2. Shinichi Yukinaga (2nd yr., Shikoku Univ.) - 17.18 m
3. Hikaru Murakami (4th yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 17.11 m

Men's Discus Throw Final
1. Jun Yoshida (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 52.41 m
2. Shinichi Yukinaga (2nd yr., Shikoku Univ.) - 51.15 m
3. Toshiki Matsui (3rd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 50.62 m

Men's Hammer Throw Final
1. Taiki Nemoto (2nd yr., Ryutsu Keizai Univ. Grad School) - 67.18 m
2. Yudai Kimura (3rd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 66.00 m
3. Masayoshi Okumura (1st yr., Ryutsu Keizai Univ. Grad School) - 65.83 m

Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Takuto Kominami (4th yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 78.53 m
2. Keiji Ogura (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 78.32 m
3. Taisei Aibara (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 77.41 m

Men's Decathlon Final
1. Shun Taue (2nd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 7546
2, Keisuke Oguta (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 7353
3. Kimito Morimoto (2nd yr., Osaka Kyoiku Univ.) - 7336

Women

Overall University Placing
1. Nittai Univ. - 66
2. Ritsumeikan Univ. - 58
3. Osaka Seikei Univ. - 57
4. Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ. - 57
5. Tsukuba Univ. - 42

Women's 100 m Final +2.3 m/s
1. Mizuki Nakamura (4th yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 11.56
2. Miyu Maeyama (4th yr., Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 11.63
3. Arisa Kimishima (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 11.74

Women's 200 m Final +1.3 m/s
1. Mizuki Nakamura (4th yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 23.81
2. Sayaka Shibayama (2nd yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 23.98
3. Miyu Maeyama (4th yr., Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 23.99

Women's 400 m Final
1. Yuna Iwata (2nd yr., Chuo Univ.) - 55.37
2. Hinako Sato (3rd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 55.56
3. Mayu Kobayashi (3rd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 55.67

Women's 800 m Final
1. Yume Kitamura (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 2:00.92 - NUR, MR
2. Yuki Hirota (4th yr., Akita Univ.) - 2:05.01
3. Airi Ikezaki (1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 2:07.38

Women's 1500 m Final
1. Ran Urabe (4th yr., Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 4:28.06
2. Mina Ueda (3rd yr., Josai Univ.) - 4:28.50
3. Nokoka Hosaka (2nd yr., Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 4:28.65

Women's 5000 m Final
1. Maho Shimizu (4th yr., Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 16:04.45
2. Rika Kaseda (1st yr., Meijo Univ.) - 16:05.22
3. Naruha Sato (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 16:07.09

Women's 10000 m Final
1. Saori Imamura (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 33:05.02
2. Maho Shimizu (4th yr., Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 33:07.45
3. Kanade Furuya (3rd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 33:10.88

Women's 100 m Hurdles Final +2.5 m/s
1. Sayaka Kobayashi (3rd yr., Aichi Kyoiku Univ.) - 13.37
2. Mako Fukube (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 13.39
3. Yumi Tanaka (1st yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 13.46

Women's 400 m Hurdles Final
1. Moe Oshiden (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ. Grad School) - 58.28
2. Kasumi Yoshida (1st yr., Surugadai Univ.) - 58.68
3. Haruka Katayama (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 58.87

Women's 3000 m Steeplechase Final
1. Yui Yabuta (4th yr., Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 10:02.64
2. Kako Okada (2nd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 10:12.59
3. Momoe Nobuoka (2nd yr., Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 10:19.91

Women's 4x100 m Relay Final
1. Osaka Seikei Univ. - 45.20
2. Ritsumeikan Univ. - 45.29
3. Nittai Univ. - 45.43

Women's 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Nittai Univ. - 3:37.44
2. Ritsumeikan Univ. - 3:38.89
3. Surugadai Univ. - 3:42.05

Women's 10000 m Race Walk Final
1. Rena Goto (4th yr., Chubu Gakuin Univ.) - 45:49.80
2. Kaori Kawazoe (4th yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 46:24.97
3. Yukiho Mizoguchi (2nd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 47:07.79

Women's High Jump Final
1. Haruka Nakano (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 1.81 m
2. Satomi Teratani (3rd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 1.75 m
3. Machika Hamatsu (4th yr., Osaka Kokusai Univ.) - 1.75 m

Women's Pole Vault Final
1. Mayu Nasu (3rd yr., Sonoda Gakuen Joshi Univ.) - 3.90 m
2. Akane Wakazono (3rd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 3.90 m
3. Rina Suzuki (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 3.80 m

Women's Long Jump Final
1. Erika Tsujimoto (4th yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 6.39 m +3.0 m/s
2. Kaoruko Ishihara (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 6.16 m +1.7 m/s
3. Yuka Yamashita (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 6.14 m +2.8 m/s

Women's Triple Jump Final
1. Kanna Kawai (2nd yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 13.05 +1.9 m/s
2. Kuria Kenmochi (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 13.04 m +3.5 m/s
3. Sayuri Hayashi (4th yr., Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 12.87 m +2.8 m/s

Women's Shot Put Final
1. Nanaka Kori (2nd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 16.57 m
2. Aya Ota (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 15.68 m
3. Hitomi Naganuma (4th yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 15.19 m

Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Minori Tsujikawa (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 52.56 m
2. Natsumi Fujimori (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 51.98 m
3. Manami Nuri (4th yr., Tokyo Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 49.28 m

Women's Hammer Throw Final
1. Karin Motomura (4th yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 58.81 m
2. Miharu Kodate (1st yr., Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) - 57.12 m
3. Midori Kuwabara (1st yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 56.54 m

Women's Javelin Throw Final
1. Haruka Kitaguchi (2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 60.49 m - MR
2. Marina Saito (4th yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 60.24 m (MR)
3. Mikako Yamashita (2nd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 57.11 m

Women's Heptathlon Final
1. Yuki Yamasaki (4th yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 5550 - MR
2. Tomomi Nono (3rd  yr., Waseda Univ.) - 5364
3. Konoka Takahashi (2nd yr., Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 5331

© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
videos by aoshin and Ekiden News

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