Skip to main content

National University Track and Field Championships Preview



September's turning out to be one of the biggest months of the year on the track in Japan. This weekend it's the 89th National University Track and Field Championships, going ahead with no spectators in Niigata's massive Big Swan Stadium. The whole meet will be livestreamed, with the first day kicking off at 10:00 a.m. Friday local time.

27 events feature returning national champions, in nine of which they're not the #1 seed. Ranked only 4th in his field, men's 110 mH national champ Nobuaki Morito (Waseda Univ.) will have the hardest time defending, his best of 13.79 putting him 0.43 behind collegiate national record holder Shunsuke Izumiya (Juntendo Univ.). Likewise for defending men's 10000 mRW champ Yuta Koga (Meiji Univ.) - 39:44.21, over a minute behind #1-seeded Koki Ikeda (Toyo Univ.). Also ranked 4th in her field, 2019 women's pole vault champ Akane Wakazono (Tsukuba Univ.) will have the biggest challenge to repeat among the women, 21 cm separating her from #1-ranked Misaki Morita (Chuo Univ.).

Along with Izumiya on day two, men's 3000 mSC collegiate national record holder Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) and men's long jump collegiate national record holder Yuki Hashioka (Nihon Univ.) lead day one action. The men's 10000 m at 18:10 Friday night looks like the race of the weekend, with four runners under 27:50 led by Vincent Raimoi (Kokushikan Univ.) at 27:39.80. The men's 4x100 m relay also looks as good as you'd expect, with Tsukuba University, Chuo University and Juntendo Universtiy all fielding teams under 39 seconds. Sunday's men's 5000 m is almost as good as the 10000 m, with ten men under 13:40 fronted by defending national champion and Hakone Ekiden Third Stage record holder Vincent Yegon (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) at 13:20.39.

Meet schedule and top entries in each event below. Underlined athletes are returning national champs.

89th National University Track and Field Championships

Entry List Highlights
Big Swan Stadium, Niigata, Sept. 11-13, 2020
complete entry list

Friday, Sept. 11

Men's Decathlon Day One - 10:00 ~ 17:20
Yuma Maruyama (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7752
Shun Taue (MA 1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 7475
Suguru Shiozaki (MA 2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7356
Ryoya Moriguchi (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 7227
Takashi Koga Wilson (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7176

Men's Javelin Throw Final - 10:05
Masashi Toyoda (4th yr., Tokai Gakuen Univ.) - 77.52 m
Tatsuya Sakamoto (MA 2nd yr., Osaka Taiiku Univ.) - 75.38 m
Shun Yamada (MA 2nd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 74.10 m
Junya Sadoji (MA 2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 73.94 m
Haruka Higa (4th yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 73.58 m

Women's Heptathlon Day One - 10:15 ~ 17:00
Karin Oda (3rd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 5528
Maya Shurestha (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5367
Yuri Tanaka (1st yr., Shigakukan Univ.) - 5346
Suzuka Ikeda (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5289
Haruna Hashimoto (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5288

Women's 1500 m Heats - 10:35
Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (3rd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 4:16.52
Yuna Wada (3rd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 4:16.76
Yuki Kanemitsu (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 4:18.26
Ayu Henmi (2nd yr., Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 4:21.70
Sakki Katagahara (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 4:22.20

Men's 1500 m Heats - 10:55
Kazuto Iizawa (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 3:38.94
Hidenori Sakuma (3rd yr., Meiji Univ.) - 3:43.00
Aoshi Kobayashi (3rd yr., Kanoya Taiiku Univ.) - 3:43.47
Kohei Otake (4th yr., Hiroshima Keizai Univ.) - 3:44.27
Yusuke Takahashi (3rd yr., Hokkaido Univ.) - 3:44.43

Women's 400 m Heats - 11:20
Saki Takashima (1st yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 53.31
Ayaka Kawata (3rd yr., Higashi Osaka Univ.) - 53.50
Natsumi Kawasaki (1st yr., Aoyama Gakuin  Univ.) - 53.89
Rina Yoshioka (1st yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 54.11
Mio Sudo (1st yr., Nittai Univ.) - 54.18

Men's 400 m Heats - 11:45
Rikuya Ito (4th yr., Waseda Univ.) - 45.79
Yoshinobu Imoto (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 45.82
Naoki Kitadani (4th yr., Toka Univ.) - 45.98
Yuki Nomura (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 46.35
Kazuki Matsukiyo (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 46.38

Women's Pole Vault Final - 12:00
Misaki Morita (4th yr., Chuo Univ.) - 4.21 m
Rena Tanaka (2nd yr., Kagawa Univ.) - 4.15 m
Juri Nanbu (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 4.09 m
Megumi Dainobu (1st yr., Nittai Univ.) - 4.00 m
Akane Wakazono (MA 2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 4.00 m

Women's 100 m Heats - 12:10
Ami Saito (3rd yr., Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 11.58
Yuna Miura (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 11.60
Mei Kodama (3rd yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 11.64
Sakiho Kageyama (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 11.65
Shuri Aono (2nd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 11.65

Men's 100 m Heats - 12:40
Daisuke Miyamoto (3rd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 10.24
Soshi Mizukubo (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 10.27
Ryo Bruno Dede (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 10.29
Ryota Suzuki (2nd yr., Josai Univ.) - 10.33
Satoru Fukushima (3rd yr., Toyama Univ.) - 10.33
Ryuya Okada (3rd yr., Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) - 10.33

Women's 3000 m Steeplechase Final - 13:20
Reimi Yoshimura (2nd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 9:49.30
Manami Nishiyama (3rd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 10:00.49
Yuki Akiyama (4th yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10:10.33
Yuzu Nishide (3rd yr., Kansai Gaikokugo Univ.) - 10:14.47
Yuka Nosue (2nd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10:15.07

Women's Long Jump Final - 13:30
Ayaka Kora (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 6.44 m
Nagisa Yamamoto (4th yr., Kanoya Taiiku Univ.) - 6.31 m
Maya Takeuchi (4th yr., Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 6.28 m
Chiaki Kawazoe (2nd yr., Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 6.26 m
Azuki Nakatsugawa (1st yr., Yokohama Kokuritsu Univ.) - 6.23 m

Women's Javelin Throw Final - 13:35
Mikako Yamashita (MA 1st yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 59.30 m
Momone Ueda (3rd yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 57.02 m
Tomoka Kuwazoe (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 56.86 m
Miran Nakaoka (2nd yr, Nihon Univ.) - 55.59 m
Akiho Hyodo (3rd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 55.44 m

Men's 3000 m Steeplechase Final - 13:40
Ryuji Miura (1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 8:19.37 - Univ. NR
Takumi Yoshida (4th yr., Waseda Univ.) - 8:41.77
Hibiki Obara (1st yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 8:51.42
Hiromu Kawase (MA 2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ) - 8:52.70
Waku Morotomi (1st yr., Waseda Univ.) - 8:53.89

Women's 4x100 m Relay Heats - 14:30
Nittai University - 44.59
Osaka Seikei University - 45.02
Ritsumeikan University - 45.11
Konan University - 45.33
Fukuoka University - 45.43

Men's 4x100 m Relay Heats - 15:10
Tsukuba University - 38.58
Chuo University - 38.65
Juntendo University - 38.86
Kinki University - 39.05
Toyo University - 39.06

Women's 1500 m Final - 16:00

Men's Long Jump Final - 16:05
Yuki Hashioka (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 8.32 m - Univ. NR
Tenju Togawa (4th yr., Kokusai Budo Univ) - 8.00 m
Shunsuke Izumiya (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 7.92 m
Kazuma Adachi (4th yr., Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) - 7.91 m
Hiromichi Yoshida (3rd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 7.88 m

Men's 1500 m Final - 16:15

Women's 400 m Final - 16:30

Men's 400 m Final - 16:45

Men's Discus Throw Final - 17:05
Shinichi Yukinaga (MA 1st yr., Shikoku Univ.) - 56.67 m
Ryoga Tobikawa (3rd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 52.30 m
Tomoki Matsuta (4th yr., Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 52.21 m
Kosei Yamashita (2nd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 51.48 m
Toshiaki Abe (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 51.25 m

Women's 10000 m Final - 17:30
Yuka Suzuki (3rd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 31:37.88
Narumi Kobayashi (2nd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 32:08.67
Rika Kaseda (4th yr., Meijo Univ.) - 32:29.92
Airu Kouchi (3rd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 32:58.50
Yuki Tagawa (3rd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 33:05.48

Men's 10000 m Final - 18:10
Vincent Raimoi (3rd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 27:39.80
Ledama Kisaisa (4th yr., Obirin Univ.) - 27:43.52
James Bunuka (3rd yr., Surugadai Univ.) - 27:45.59
Vincent Yegon (2nd yr., Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 27:47.76
Boniface Mulwa (2nd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:08.10
Dejen Tesfalem Weldu (1st yr., Seisa Univ.) - 28:10.59
Charles Ndungu (2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 28:12.34
Ren Tazawa (2nd yr., Komazawa Univ.) - 28:13.21
Paul Gitonga (4th yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:13.38
Kiseki Shiozawa (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 28:16.17


Saturday, Sept. 12

Men's Decathlon Day Two - 10:00 ~ 17:35
Yuma Maruyama (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7752
Shun Taue (MA 1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 7475
Suguru Shiozaki (MA 2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7356
Ryoya Moriguchi (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 7227
Takashi Koga Wilson (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 7176

Women's Heptathlon Day Two - 10:10 ~ 16:05
Karin Oda (3rd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 5528
Maya Shurestha (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5367
Yuri Tanaka (1st yr., Shigakukan Univ.) - 5346
Suzuka Ikeda (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5289
Haruna Hashimoto (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5288

Men's 110 m Hurdles Heats - 10:10
Shunsuke Izumiya (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 13.36 - Univ. NR
Rachid Muratake (1st yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 13.78
Ryota Kawashima (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 13.78
Nobuaki Morito (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 13.79
Rikuto Higuchi (3rd yr., Hosei Univ.) - 13.80

Women's 100 m Hurdles Heats - 10:35
Yumi Tanaka (4th yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 13.18
Ayumi Kobayashi (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 13.34
Hikari Tanaka (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 13.35
Manaka Shibata (2nd yr., Asia Pacific Univ.) - 13.42
Yuiri Yoshida (3rd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 13.45

Men's Shot Put Final - 11:00
Shinichi Yukinaga (MA 1st yr., Shikoku Univ.) - 17.85 m
Ryuji Iwasa (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 17.63 m
Toshiaki Abe (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 16.86 m
Yuki Natsui (2nd yr., Tokai Univ.) - 16.84 m
Hitoshi Okumura (2nd yr., Kokushikan Univ.) - 16.76 m

Women's 800 m Heats - 11:15
Ayaka Kawata (3rd yr., Higashi Osaka Univ.) - 2:02.71
Ayano Shiomi (3rd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 2:02.73
Salina Hillier (1st yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 2:04.73
Airi Ikezaki (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 2:05.12
Erina Hosoi (2nd yr., Keio Univ.) - 2:05.68

Men's High Jump Final - 11:30
Yuichi Ebisuya (MA 2nd yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 2.21 m
Naoki Higashi (3rd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 2.19 m
Kyohei Tomori (4th yr., Asia Pacific Univ.) - 2.19 m
Ryo Egashira (1st yr., Nihon Univ.) - 2.18 m
So Shibuya (4th yr., Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 2.18 m

Men's 800 m Heats - 12:00
Junya Matsumoto (4th yr., Hosei Univ.) - 1:47.80
Daichi Setoguchi (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 1:48.34
Kentaro Usuda (4th yr., Kinki Univ.) - 1:48.69
Daiki Nemoto (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 1:48.87
Riku Sakamoto (3rd yr., Toyo Univ.) - 1:49.02

Women's 400 m Hurdles Heats - 12:45
Moeka Sekimoto (3rd yr., Waseda Univ.) - 56.96
Kana Koyama (4th yr, Waseda Univ.) - 57.45
Rui Tsugawa (1st yr., Waseda Univ.) - 57.85
Rina Tawa (1st yr., Konan Univ.) - 58.09
Aisha Ibrahim (4th yr., Sapporo Kokusai Univ.) - 58.09

Men's 400 m Hurdles Heats - 13:15
Yutaro Mano (MA 2nd yr., Nagoya Univ.) - 49.50
Tatsuhiro Yamamoto (MA 1st yr., Nihon Univ.) - 49.69
Kyohei Yoshida (MA 1st yr., Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 50.16
Kaito Tsutsue (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 50.26
Yusuke Ozaki (PhD 3rd yr., Hiroshima Univ.) - 50.30

Women's Discus Throw Final - 13:30
Nanaka Kori (MA 1st yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 59.03 m
Maki Saito (2nd yr., Tokyo Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 54.00 m
Mizuki Handa (MA 1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 51.30 m
Akane Kawaguchi (4th yr., Nittai Univ.) - 49.37 m
Hiroko Tagawa (MA 2nd yr., Kanoya Taiiku Univ.) - 48.66 m

Women's 100 m Semifinals - 13:40

Men's 100 m Semifinals - 13:55

Women's 4x400 m Relay Heats - 14:20
Osaka Seikei University - 3:37.80
Ritsumeikan University - 3:37.92
Waseda University - 3:38.69
Chuo University - 3:38.88
Nittai University - 3:40.37

Men's 4x400 m Relay Heats - 14:50
Toyo University - 3:05.85
Waseda Universtiy - 3:06.47
Chuo University - 3:06.72
Tsukuba University - 3:06.76
Nihon University - 3:07.02

Women's High Jump Final - 15:05
Nagisa Takahashi (3rd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 1.80 m
Moyu Takeuchi (4th yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1.78 m
Natsumi Kanda (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 1.78 m
Yumemi Minowa (1st yr., Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 1.76 m
Marin Matsumoto (1st yr., Konan Univ.) - 1.76 m

Women's Triple Jump Final - 15:10
Hina Tagami (4th yr., Kansai Univ.) - 13.03 m
Sakura Uchiyama (5th yr., Tokyo Univ.) - 13.00 m
Chiaki Kawazoe (2nd yr., Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 12.96 m
Sayaka Nakamura (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 12.95 m
Ayane Okumura (4th yr., Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 12.81 m

Women's 10000 m Race Walk Final - 15:30
Maika Yagi (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 46:11.22
Miyabi Kurihara (4th yr., Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 47:41.00
Nami Hayashi (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 47:48.55
Ai  Murakami (2nd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 47:52.48
Chisa Todokoro (4th yr., Doshisha Univ.) - 48:11.99

Women's 200 m Heats - 16:30
Shuri Aono (2nd yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 23.61
Aiko Iki (2nd yr., Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 23.78
Abigail Ido (1st yr., Konan Univ.) - 23.79
Mei Kodama (3rd yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 23.80
Sakiho Kageyama (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 23.82

Men's 200 m Heats - 17:00
Yoshihiro Someya (4th yr., Chuo Univ.) - 20.64
Soshi Mizukubo (4th yr., Josai Univ.) - 20.65
Yuki Kinoshita (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 20.66
Naoki Uemoto (4th yr., Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 20.72
Koki Sakatani (4th yr., Kinki Univ.) - 20.78

Men's 10000 m Race Walk Final - 17:30
Koki Ikeda (4th yr., Toyo Univ.) - 38:40.04
Masatora Kawano (4th yr., Toyo Univ.) - 38:50.37
Hiroto Jusho (3rd yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 39:18.63
Yuta Koga (3rd yr., Meiji Univ.) - 39:44.21
Kohei Toyama (4th yr., Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 39:44.59

Women's 4x100 m Relay Final - 18:30

Men's 4x100 m Relay Final - 18:40

Women's 100 m Final - 19:20

Men's 100 m Final - 19:30



Sunday, Sept. 13

Women's 200 m Semifinals - 10:00

Men's 200 m Semifinals - 10:30

Men's Pole Vault Final - 10:35
Masaki Ejima (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 5.71 m
Kazuya Ishibashi (4th yr., Seiwa Univ.) - 5.41 m
Keita Shigeto (4th yr., Kagawa Univ) - 5.40 m
Yosuke Osaki (2nd yr., Nittai Univ.) - 5.31 m
Ryosei Morita (3rd yr., Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) - 5.30 m
Tomoya Uchiyama (4th yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 5.30 m
Sota Ishimaru (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 5.30 m
Takaaki Yoshida (4th yr., Nihon Univ.) - 5.30 m

Men's Triple Jump Final - 10:35
Riku Ito (5th yr., Kinki Univ.) - 16.34 m
Yuta Takenouchi (4th yr., Juntendo Univ.) - 16.32 m
Kazuki Tashiro (Kokushikan Univ.) - 16.07 m
Yuto Adachi (2nd yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 16.05 m
Hajime Araki (2nd yr., Chiba Shoka Univ.) - 16.04 m

Women's 100 m Hurdles Semifinals - 11:00

Men's 110 m Hurdles Semifinals - 11:30

Women's Hammer Throw Final - 11:30
Miharu Kodate (4th yr., Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) - 61.77 m
Momoko Watanabe (2nd yr., Tsukuba Univ.) - 60.49 m
Sara Fujimoto (4th yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 59.50 m
Sako Takahashi (MA 1st yr., Osaka Taiiku Univ.) - 57.12 m
Shiori Aoyagi (4th yr., Osaka Taiiku Univ.) - 57.05 m

Women's 400 m Hurdles Final - 12:30

Men's 400 m Hurdles Final - 12:45

Women's 800 m Final - 13:00

Men's 800 m Final - 13:15

Women's 200 m Final - 13:30

Women's Shot Put Final - 13:35
Fumika Ono (2nd yr., Saitama Univ.) - 15. 88 m
Honoka Oyama (4th yr., Fukuoka Univ.) - 15.78 m
Yuka Takahashi (MA 1st yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 15.47 m
Rika Shindo (3rd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 15.21 m
Meari Hiroshima (1st yr., Nihon Univ.) - 15.17 m

Men's 200 m Final - 13:45

Men's Hammer Throw Final - 14:00
Yudai Kimura (MA 2nd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 69.35 m
Takahiro Kobata (MA 2nd yr., Chukyo Univ.) - 69.20 m
Tatsuto Nakagawa (4th yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 65.45 m
Kohei Oda (3rd yr., Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 64.96 m
Shota Fukuda (2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 64.64 m

Women's 100 m Hurdles Final - 14:00

Men's 110 m Hurdles Final - 14:15

Women's 5000 m Final - 14:30
Rika Kaseda (4th yr., Meijo Univ.) - 15:33.10
Yuka Suzuki (3rd yr., Daito Bunka Univ.) - 15:37.71
Maya Fukushima (2nd yr., Josai Univ.) - 15:44.90
Hikaru Kitagawa (1st yr., Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 15:53.31
Kyoka Kudo (4th yr., Taiiku Univ.) - 15:56.11
Yumeno Yamazaki (4th yr., Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:56.77
Yuma Yamamoto (2nd yr., Meijo Univ.) - 15:57.21
Saya Nakajima (3rd yr., Kanoya Taiiku Univ.) - 15:59.74
Hikaru Nozaki (2nd yr., Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 16:00.30
Yui Komatsu (2nd yr., Matsuyama Univ.) - 16:01.54

Men's 5000 m Final - 14:55
Vincent Yegon (2nd yr., Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 13:20.39
Ledama Kisaisa (4th yr., Obirin Univ.) - 13:24.99
Yamato Yoshii (1st yr., Chuo Univ.) - 13:28.31
Lawrence Ngure (3rd yr., Sapporo Gakuin Univ.) - 13:30.57
Kiseki Shiozawa (4th yr., Tokai Univ.) - 13:33.44
James Bunuka (3rd yr., Surugadai Univ.) - 13:36.70
Shoya Kawase (4th yr., Kogakkan Univ.) - 13:36.93
Charles Ndungu (2nd yr., Nihon Univ.) - 13:37.62
Philip Mulwa (2nd yr., Soka Univ.) - 13:37.70
Keita Yoshida (4th yr., Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 13:37.96

Women's 4x400 m Relay Final - 15:15

Men's 4x400 m Relay Final - 15:30


© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Japan's Olympic Marathon Team Meets the Press

With renewed confidence, Japan's Olympic marathon team will face the total 438 m elevation difference hills of Paris this summer. The members of the women's and men's marathon teams for August's Paris Olympics appeared at a press conference in Tokyo on Mar. 25 in conjunction with the Japan Marathon Championship Series III (JMC) awards gala. Women's Olympic trials winner Yuka Suzuki (Daiichi Seimei) said she was riding a wave of motivation in the wake of the new women's national record. When she watched Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) set the record at January's Osaka International Women's Marathon on TV, Suzuki said she was, "absolutely stunned." Her coach Sachiko Yamashita told her afterward, "When someone breaks the NR, things change," and Suzuki found herself saying, "I want to take my shot." After training for a great run in Paris, she said, "I definitely want to break the NR in one of my marathons after that." Mao

Weekend Racing Roundup

  China saw a new men's national record of 2:06:57 from  Jie He  at the Wuxi Marathon Sunday, but in Japan it was a relatively quiet weekend with mostly cold and rainy amateur-level marathons across the country. At the Tokushima Marathon , club runner Yuhi Yamashita  won the men's race by almost 4 1/2 minutes in 2:17:02, the fastest Japanese men's time of the weekend, but oddly took 22 seconds to get across the starting line. The women's race saw a close finish between the top two, with Shiho Iwane  winning in 2:49:33 over Ayaka Furukawa , 2nd in 2:49:46.  At the 41st edition of the Sakura Marathon in Chiba, Yukie Matsumura  (Comodi Iida) ran the fastest Japanese women's time of the weekend, 2:42:45, to take the win. Club runner Yuki Kuroda  won the men's race in 2:20:08.  Chika Yokota  won the Saga Sakura Marathon women's race in 2:49:33.  Yuki Yamada  won the men's race in 2:21:47 after taking the lead in the final 2 km.  Naoki Inoue  won the 16th r

Sprinter Shoji Tomihisa Retires From Athletics at 105

A retirement ceremony for local masters track and field legend Shoji Tomihisa , 105, was held May 13 at his usual training ground at Miyoshi Sports Park Field in Miyoshi, Hiroshima. Tomihisa began competing in athletics at age 97, setting a Japanese national record 16.98 for 60 m in the men's 100~104 age group at the 2017 Chugoku Masters Track and Field meet. Last year Tomihisa was the oldest person in Hiroshima selected to run as a torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. Due to the coronavirus pandemic the relay on public roads was canceled, and while he did take part in related ceremonies his run was ultimately canceled. Tomihisa recently took up the shot put, but in light of his fading physical strength he made the decision to retire from competition. Around 30 members of the Shoji Tomihisa Booster Club attended the retirement ceremony. After receiving a bouquet of flowers from them Tomihisa in turn gave them a colored paper placard on which he had written the characters