Skip to main content

Ishihara Breaks Into 3000 m All-Time Top Three - Weekend Track Highlights


With the Japanese academic and fiscal year ending Wednesday, this year saw one last blowout with decently competitive track time trial meets across the country.

At the Asahi Kasei corporate team's home track in Nobeoka, 2016 Rio Olympics steepler Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) led five men under the 28:16.00 B-standard for May's 10000 m National Championships, winning in 28:09.10. Olympic marathon team alternate Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) had a bad day of it, off the back in the first lap and finishing last in 29:55.91. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei) led start to finish in the slower heat to win in 28:48.58.

In suburban Tokyo, National University Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden champ Komazawa University dominated the fast races at the Setagaya Time Trials meet. Komazawa's Takumi Karasawa won the 5000 m A-heat in 13:40.90, with teammate Mebuki Suzuki bouncing back from qualifying for the World University Games half marathon two weeks ago to win the 3000 m A-heat in 8:01.83.

One of the stars of this year's Hakone Ekiden, Tokai University first-year Shotaro Ishihara was even faster than Suzuki, running 7:58.26 to win Tokai's home ground time trials meet 3000 m A-heat and landing at all-time #3 on the Japanese U20 lists. The top 11 were all under 8:10, an exceptionally good race by Japanese standards. Johnson Mogeni (Yugakkan H.S.) won the 5000 m A-heat in 13:40.27. Club runner Shiho Kaneshige (GRlab Kanto) outran corporate leaguers from the Daiichi Seimei and Panasonic teams to win the women's 3000 m A-heat in a PB of 9:22.76. 

At the Heisei Kokusai University Time Trials meet, Judy Kipngetich (Masuda Higashi H.S.) ran 8:59.53 to win the women's 3000 m A-heat by over 25 seconds. Seia Hotta (Chiharadai H.S.) won the men's 5000 m A-heat in 14:05.57.

Usually the biggest of the time trial meets, this time the Nittai University Time Trials was relatively low-key, with Yuya Ueda (Hiramatsu Byoin) turning in just about the only noteworthy run as he won the 5000 m fast heat in 13:56.89.

© 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Most-Read This Week

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

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

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,