Japanese U20 Women Win Team Bronze at World Cross Country Championships

The almost always reliable junior women scored Japan's only medal of the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, beating Uganda by one point to make the podium. Uganda's Sarah Chelangat was part of the mad sprint finish for the individual medals, coming up just short at 4th but giving Uganda an edge for bronze behind Ethiopia and Kenya.

It took solid pair runs from Japan's Ayuka Kazama and Ririka Hironaka, 14th and 15th ahead of Uganda's second runner Esther Chekwemoi, and Chika Kosakai and Hazuki Doi, 21st and 22nd just seconds ahead of Uganda's last two scorers, to make it happen. The bronze medal placing was the junior women's 16th in World Cross Country Championships history.

Kazama's 14th-place finish as the first runner not from Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda was also the best individual placing of the day by a Japanese athlete, as it turned out. But Issei Sato's 20th-place finish in the U20 men's 8 km was also quality, advancing through the field each lap to finish as the only runner in the top 20 other than Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen not from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda or Eritrea. The junior men took 7th, tying the U.S.A. on points as each team's fourth scorer, Charlie Perry and Ryuto Igawa, finished side-by-side.

The senior women were the only squad without a full complement of six, Japan opting to send only the four needed for scoring as most of the top placers at last month's National Cross Country Championships passed World XC over in favor of next month's Asian Athletics Championships. In her senior debut and first time racing over longer than 8 km, national champion Nozomi Tanaka was the first Japanese woman to finish, coming in 39th. The senior women took 12th in team scoring.

The senior men were the weakest link, national champion Yuta Bando landing only 65th to lead the team to a disappointing 14th-place finish. After leading part of the first lap, Yohei Komatsu of 2019 Hakone Ekiden champion Tokai University ended up as the team's fifth man in 92nd place. No Japanese athletes took part in the mixed relay.

World Cross Country Championships

Aarhus, Denmark, 3/30/19
complete results

Junior Women's 6 km
Individual
1. Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) - 20:50
2. Alemitu Tariku (Ethiopia) - 20:50
3. Tsigie Gebreselama (Ethiopia) - 20:50
-----
14. Ayuko Kazama (Japan) - 21:58
15. Ririka Hironaka (Japan) - 22:00
21. Chika Kosakai (Japan) - 22:18
22. Hazuki Doi (Japan) - 22:21
29. Miku Sakai (Japan) - 22:45
33. Hikari Onishi (Japan) - 22:54

Team
1. Ethiopia - 17
2. Kenya - 26
3. Japan - 72
-----
4. Uganda - 73

Junior Men's 8 km
Individual
1. Milkesa Mengesha (Ethiopia) - 23:52
2. Tadese Worku (Ethiopia) - 23:54
3. Oscar Chelimo (Uganda) - 23:55
-----
20. Issei Sato (Japan) - 25:51
33. Jun Kasai (Japan) - 26:29
45. Taiga Nakanishi (Japan) - 26:44
56. Ryuto Igawa (Japan) - 27:07
70. Tetta Shiratori (Japan) - 27:32

Team
1. Ethiopia - 18
2. Uganda - 32
3. Kenya - 34
-----
7. Japan - 154

Senior Women's 10 km
Individual
1. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) - 36:14
2. Dera Dida (Ethiopia) - 36:16
3. Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) - 36:24
-----
39. Nozomi Tanaka (Japan) - 39:27
46. Rika Kaseda (Japan) - 39:48
47. Yukina Ueda (Japan) - 39:48
95. Yui Yabuta (Japan) - 43:25

Team
1. Ethiopia - 21
2. Kenya - 25
3. Uganda - 36
-----
12. Japan - 227

Senior Men's 10 km
Individual
1. Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) - 31:40
2. Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) - 31:44
3. Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya) - 31:55
-----
65. Yuta Bando (Japan) - 34:35
74. Yusuke Tamura (Japan) - 34:54
78. Yuhi Nakaya (Japan) - 35:01
80. Kosei Yamaguchi (Japan) - 35:04
92. Yohei Komatsu (Japan) - 35:24
99. Yusuke Nishiyama (Japan) - 35:42

Team
1. Uganda - 20
2. Kenya - 43
3. Ethiopia - 46
-----
14. Japan - 297

Mised Relay 4 x 2 km
1. Ethiopia - 25:49
2. Morocco - 26:22
3. Kenya - 26:29

medal ceremony photo © 2019 Kosei Yamaguchi, all rights reserved
text, video and other photos © 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Tokumoto and Yamakawa Take Over at Shibaura Kogyo in Quest for Hakone Debut

In a quest to make its first Hakone Ekiden, Shibaura Kogyo University announced this week that former Surugadai University head coach Kazuyoshi Tokumoto , 45, and former Reitaku University head coach Tatsuya Yamakawa , 40, will take over as head and assistant coach starting in April. In a statement issued by the university Tokumoto commented, "I'm pleased to have been named head coach of Shibaura Kogyo University's track and field team. When they came to feel me I could feel their passion about achieving their dream of becoming the first science and technology university to compete in the Hakone Ekiden. I was happy to accept because I felt that this was an environment in which I could grow too. It's my responsibility to help them become the 45th university ever to compete in Hakone. I hope that you'll enjoy Act II of the Tokumoto Show and cheer us on as Shibaura Kogyo heads down the road to Hakone." Yamakawa's comments read, "I arrived early in Feb...

Nanjing World Indoor Championships Day One Japanese Results

Indoor track isn't much of a thing in Japan, but there's still a small national team at this weekend's Nanjing World Indoor Championships . High jumpers Naoto Hasegawa and Sota Haraguchi were the only Japanese athletes in action in final on Friday's opening day. Hasegawa became the first Japanese man to make top 8 in a World Indoor Championships high jump final, taking 7th with a 2.20 m SB. Haraguchi was 13th of 13 with a 2.14 m SB clearance. In the men's 400 m Fuga Sato made it through the opening heats with a 46.60 SB for 2nd in Heat 3, while Ryo Yoshikawa ran only 47.47 for 5th in Heat 2 and did not advance. Sato was eliminated in the semifinals after he was last in SF1 in 48.31. Yoshiki Kinashi and Naoki Nishioka both made it through the men's 60 m heats, Kinashi running 6.60 m for 2nd in Heat 8 and Nishioka 6.67 for 3rd in Heat 4. In the semifinals both were eliminated, Nishioka improving to 6.62 for 4th in SF3 and Kinashi running 6.63 for 5th in SF2....

Nanjing World Indoor Championships Day Two Japanese Results

As with yesterday , only one Japanese athlete competed in a final on the 2nd day of the Nanjing World Indoor Championships . Ranked 7th on SB in the field of 12 in the women's 3000 m, NR holder Nozomi Tanaka finished 10th in 8:47.93 over 10 seconds behind winner Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia. Yuma Maruyama was also in action on the first day of heptathlon competition, sitting at 11th of 12 at the end of the day with 3135 points. Maruyama's best individual event placings were 9th in both the 60 m and long jump. In the men's 60 mH Tetsuro Nishi was the fastest time qualifier for the semifinals, running 7.79 for 5th in Heat 2. It would have taken at least 7.61 to get through the semis to the final, but Nishi could only turn in a 7.83 for 6th in SF2 and did not advance. The Nanjing World Indoor Championships wrap up Sunday. © 2025 Brett Larner , all rights reserved

japan running news

Search This Blog