Hagitani and Miura Win Senior Titles at National XC Championships

20-year-old Kaede Hagitani (Edion) and the just-turned-19 Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) took the senior titles at the 2021 National Cross-Country Championships Saturday in Fukuoka. Hagitani ran away with it, outclassing a tight chase trio to win the Senior Women's 8 km by 26 seconds in 25:54. High schooler Miku Sakai (Kitakyushu Municipal H.S.) was an impressive 2nd in 26:20.

Like Sakai opting for the senior race, Miura, the U20 national record holder for 3000 m steeplechase and half marathon, had a tougher race on his hands in the Senior Men's 10 km, just getting two-time 5000 m national champion Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu) at the line for the win in 29:10 with the next four finishers, including past national champ Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko), all within 10 seconds. 36-year-old Hakone Ekiden legend and 2:07:39 marathoner Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu) showed there's still life in his legs, a surprising 11th in 29:30.

The junior races were both blowouts at the same level as the Senior Women's race. In the U20 Women's 6 km, the race video above, Seira Fuwa (TKFU Takasaki H.S.) came from 4 seconds back with 2 km to go to impressively open a winning margin of 25 seconds as she scored the win in 19:49.

Keita Sato (Rakunan H.S.), the all-time #2 Japanese high schooler over 3000 m, frontran the entire way to end up with the day's biggest winning margin, 28 seconds, running 23:19 in the U20 Boys' 8 km, the race video below. Rakunan turned in the most dominant team performance of the day, putting four runners including Sato in the top ten.

2021 National Cross-Country Championships

Fukuoka, 27 Feb. 2021

complete results

Senior Women's 8 km

1. Kaede Hagitani (Edion) - 25:54

2. Miku Sakai (Kitakyushu Municipal H.S.) - 26:20

3. Yuna Wada (Meijo Univ.) - 26:21

4. Nozomi Tanaka (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 26:22

5. Momoka Kawaguchi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 26:35

6. Azusa Sumi (Universal Entertainment) - 26:58

7. Minami Yamanouchi (Kyocera) - 27:11

8. Yukari Abe (Shimamura) - 27:16

9. Miki Hirai (Higo Ginko) - 27:22

10. Natsuki Sekiya (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 27:23

Senior Men's 10 km

1. Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) - 29:10

2. Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu) - 29:10

3. Atsuya Imai (Toyota Kyushu) - 29:16

4. Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko) - 29:17

5. Takato Suzuki (SGH Group) - 29:18

6. Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) - 29:20

7. Tamaki Fujimoto (Nittai Univ.) - 29:21

(OP) Paul Onyiego (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 29:23

8. Shoya Kawase (Kogakkan Univ.) - 29:24

9. Kenta Muto (JR Higashi Nihon) - 29:24

10. Atsuto Shimanuki (GMO) - 29:27

11. Masato Imai (Toyota Kyuhsu) - 29:30

U20 Women's 6 km

1. Seira Fuwa (TKFU Takasaki H.S.) - 19:49

2. Azusa Mihara (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 20:14

3. Chika Kosakai (Narita H.S.) - 20:19

4. Haruka Ogawa (Junten H.S.) - 20:27

5. Yoshino Namiki (Tokiwa H.S.) - 20:27

6. Rio Einaga (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 20:29

7. Mariya Noda (Kitakyushu Municipal H.S.) - 20:36

8. Hazuki Doi (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 20:40

9. Marin Nishizawa (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 20:41

10. Kana Kizogami (Luther Gakuin H.S.) - 20:42

U20 Men's 8 km

1. Keita Sato (Rakunan H.S.) - 23:19

2. Aoi Ota (Omuta H.S.) - 23:47

3. Yuta Minamisaka (Kurashiki H.S.) - 23:54

4. Yuto Tanaka (Tsuruga Kehi H.S.) - 23:59

5. Kota Yamasaki (Rakunan H.S.) - 24:03

6. Ayumu Yamamoto (Jiyogaoka H.S.) - 24:04

7. Hiroki Wakabayashi (Rakunan H.S.) - 24:07

8. Seia Hotta (Chiharadai H.S.) - 24:07

9. Itsuki Koizumi (KGU Kugayama H.S.) - 24:10

10. Kazuki Naito (Rakunan H.S.) - 24:16

Ichiyama 8th at Copenhagen Marathon

Currently the #10-ranked Japanese man in the marathon with the fastest-ever domestic time at the elite Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Tsubasa Ichiyama (Sunbelx) made his international debut at Sunday's Copenhagen Marathon , literally an international debut as it was his first time outside the country. Ichiyama hoped to be in contention to break the 2:08:23 CR and go for the win, and with cool and breezy conditions ran easy in the lead group through 30 km. But something ate away at almost everyone as time went by, several people in the lead men's and women's groups saying humidity, and past 30 km Ichiyama fell off. Falling as low as 9th, he rallied after 40 km to finish 8th in 2:13:07. "It was different than in Japanese races," he said. "I'm used to bigger packs and more even pacing, but this was a kind of racing I hadn't done before. There's a lot to think about. I didn't feel like I was sweating a lot, but I got really thirsty and started sk

Two-Time Olympic Marathon Medalist Erick Wainaina Referred to Prosectors on Suspicion of Assault

According to investigators, two-time Olympic marathon medalist Erick Wainaina has had his case referred to prosecutors after allegedly injuring a railway employee by striking him in the face at a station in Setagaya, Tokyo. Wainaina, 50, was the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Wainaina is suspected of assaulting a woman in her late teens and a male Tokyo Denentoshi Line employee by hitting them in the face during an altercation at Komazawa University Station in March this year, resulting in minor injuries to the man's face. According to investigators, the incident began on the train between Wainaina and the woman, and after getting off at Komazawa University Station he hit her in the face when she asked him to go to the station office with her to report it. When the male railway employee responded to the situation Wainaina reportedly hit him too. In response to questioning Wainaina is said to have answered,

Wanjiru Breaks Own MR, Fuwa and Ishida Return - Kanto Regionals Day 1 Highlights

Japan's best college meet kicked off Thursday at Tokyo's National Stadium at the 103rd Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships . Looking like she was doing a controlled tempo run, 2nd-yr Sarah Wanjiru (Daito Bunka Univ.) lapped the entire field to win the women's 10000 m in a meet record 32:02.87, almost 15 seconds under the record she last year in her debut. 3rd-yr Aoi Takahashi (Josai Univ.) was 2nd in 33:29.22 and 2nd-yr Nana Nagashima (Josai Kokusai Univ.) 3rd in a PB 33:30.28, but the other main news alongside Wanjiru's new record was the return of collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) in her first 10000 m in 19 months. Fuwa hung at the back of the chase pack for the first half, made a move to lead it in the second half, and ultimately faded to 9th in 33:40.20. Every comeback has to start somewhere. The D1 men's 10000 m had a tight group up front with the top 6 all finishing within 6 seconds and under 28:10. 3rd-yr Jam

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