The powers that be may have decided that there isn't going to be a road season, but September's going to be a busy month on the track in Japan. Just getting in Saturday night ahead of the leading edge of Typhoon #10, the Yamaguchi Nighter Time Trials meet saw Joel Mwaura (Kurosaki Harima) take the men's 3000 m in 8:01.87 almost six seconds ahead of teammate Yusuke Tamura. Tosu Kogyo H.S. teammates Sei Sonoda and Junpei Maseda went 3-4 in 8:07.38 and 8:08.21, Sonoda taking the all-time #8 Japanese U20 and #7 Japanese high school marks and Maseda #8 on the high school list.
The 50th Hokuriku Corporate Championships took place Saturday and Sunday in Toyama, rescheduled to this weekend from their original date in the spring. Still going strong all these years later, 2009 World University Games 10000 m gold medalist and 5000 m silver medalist Kasumi Nishihara (Yamada Denki) won the women's 5000 m in a meet record 15:44.55 over teammates Maho Shimizu and Yuri Tasaki. Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) took the men's 5000 m title in 14:15.63 on Sunday a day after running 29:41.74 for 2nd behind winning teammate Vincent Kipkemoi in the men's 10000 m. Men's 800 m national record holder Sho Kawamoto (Suzuki) had a decent day, winning in 1:47.30 by more than a second.
Looking ahead, next weekend has the National University Track and Field Championships in Niigata. A week later it's the National Corporate Track and Field Championships in Saitama, followed up the last weekend of September by the rescheduled regional Kansai and Chugoku Corporate Track and Field Championships in Osaka and Hiroshima. Those will be the lead-in to the non-distance event National Track and Field Championships the first weekend of October back in Niigata.
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