Shibuya Wins 2020 Tokyo Tomin Ekiden

Like Saturday's National Cross Country Championships going ahead in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus scare, the Tokyo Tomin Ekiden, the championship ekiden for Tokyo citizens representing their home districts, held its 73rd running Monday along the Arakawa river in the northeastern suburb of Katsushika. 23 teams fielded 6 runners apiece, each of them covering the same 5.0 km stage under beautifully sunny early spring skies.

The First Stage was the fastest of the day, with Takuya Saito of Meguro covering it in 15:00. Starting 40 seconds back in 7th, Shibuya's second runner Gary Wilberforce moved into the top spot just past halfway and pushed on to open a 22-second lead over the Hamura team and win his stage on time. That dropped to 15 seconds on the Third Stage, but with another stage win from fourth runner Issei Mori Shibuya's lead grew to 1:03.

On the Fifth Stage it fell again to 46 seconds due in large part to a stage win from 2nd-place Adachi's fifth runner Shun Komino, but Shibuya anchor Sho Matsumoto succeeded in turning things back around over the second half of his stage, bringing Shibuya home for just its second-ever title in 1:35:00 with a margin of 1:19 over defending champ Adachi. Repping western Tokyo, Mitaka was 3rd in 1:36:51 despite not winning a single individual stage.

73rd Tokyo Tomin Ekiden

Katsushika-ku, Tokyo, 2/24/20
23 teams, six stages, 30.0 km

Top Team Results
1. Shibuya - 1:35:00
2. Adachi - 1:36:19
3. Mitaka - 1:36:51
4. Hachioji - 1:38:23
5. Koto - 1:38:27
6. Nerima - 1:38:38
7. Machida - 1:39:56
8. Ota - 1:40:28
9. Komae - 1:40:39
10. Hamura - 1:41:16

Top Individual Stage Results - all 5.0 km
First Stage - Takuya Saito (Meguro) - 15:00
Second Stage - Gary Wilberforce (Shibuya) - 15:21
Third Stage - Tomohiro Ono (Ota) - 15:41
Fourth Stage - Issei Mori (Shibuya) - 16:04
Fifth Stage - Shun Komino (Adachi) - 15:10
Sixth Stage - Satoru Suzuki (Hachioji) - 15:26

© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Juntendo University Legendary Coach Sawaki Steps Down Amid Abuse Allegations After 4 Athletes Taken to Hospital - "This is the Way We've Always Done It"

Juntendo University is one of the true powers of the Hakone Ekiden, with 11 wins in 65 appearances and producing current 3000 mSC and 10000 m national record holders Ryuji Miura and Kazuya Shiojiri . But an investigation by the Weekly Shincho gossip rag has uncovered students' accusations of abuse and power harassment against a famed honorary head coach. The university administration has acknowledged that student athletes were put in danger and indicated that the coach in question would step away from any coaching duties. The accused man is Keisuke Sawaki , 80, former head coach of the Juntendo track and field team and currently serving as a specially-appointed professor and honorary head coach at the university. A Juntendo alumnus and two-time Olympian who competed in long distance track events at both the 1968 Mexico City and 1972 Munich Olympics, as head coach Sawaki led Juntendo to 9 of its 11 Hakone victories. Those successes led to him serving at one point as executive dir

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

National University Track and Field Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 93rd National University Track and Field Championships start today at Kanagawa's Todoroki Stadium and run through Sunday. The meet schedule and live results can be had here . Streaming of most events will be linked here once competition starts each day. Top entrants in each event: Women 100 m Wakana Okane (Konan Univ.) - 11.55 Yume Okuno (Konan Univ.) - 11.55 Yu Ishikawa (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 11.55 Miu Kurashige (Konan Univ.) - 11.63 Yuiko Yamazaki (Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 11.63 Misato Sato (Chuo Univ.) - 11.64 200 m Aiha Yamagata (Fukuoka Univ.) - 23.53 Ami Takahashi (Tsukuba Univ.) - 23.67 Arie Flores (Nittai Univ.) - 23.73 Yuzuki Kojima (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 23.82 Miu Kurashige (Konan Univ.) - 23.96 Hazuki Yoshinaga (Chuo Univ.) - 23.96 400 m Arie Flores (Nittai Univ.) - 53.28 Marin Adachi (Sonoda Gakuen Joshi Univ.) - 53.52 Yuzuki Kojima (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 53.99 Yuzuki Nakao (Sonoda Gakuen Joshi Univ.) - 54.12 Ririka Miyachi (Surugadai Univ.) - 54.13 800 m Ai Wat

japan running news

Search This Blog