National Sports Festival, Izumo, Chicago and More

National Sports Festival, Izumo, Chicago and More - Weekend Preview

It feels like old times again, with at least five big events on the Japanese calendar. The biggest is Monday's Izumo Ekiden, the season opener for the top university men's teams in the country. We'll have a separate Izumo preview out soon, but you can look forward to the race being broadcast live on Fuji TV starting at 13:00 local time Monday. We'll also cover it live on @JRNLive.

The other big ekiden is Sunday's Kurayoshi Women's Ekiden and Nihonkai Ekiden, the first major high school races of the season. They're really one thing billed with separate event names for the girls' and boys' races, five stages totaling 21.0975 km for girls and seven stages totaling 42.195 km for boys. Most of the top high school programs in the country will be there, with 2021 National High School Ekiden 2nd and 4th-placers Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. and Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. leading the 70 teams in the girls' race and 2021 Nationals winner Sera H.S., 2nd-place Rakunan H.S. and 5th-place Saku Chosei H.S. fronting the 96 team-deep boys' race.

Also on the roads, five Japanese men will be lining up Sunday at the Chicago Marathon. With ekiden season preventing there from being any high-level fall domestic marathons a lot of Japanese athletes have been going overseas this fall, some to try to pick up qualification for next year's MGC Race 2024 Olympic marathon trials, and for those already qualified, to get some experience running a high-level race where Japanese athletes are in the minority. Led by 2:06:26 guy Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima), all five in Chicago are in category B. No Japanese women are entered, but the wheelchair race also features male athletes Kota Hokinoue and Sho Watanabe.

On the track, the National Sports Festival has already gotten started in Tochigi, with the opening day on Thursday producing a great junior mens' 5000 m. Led by Hiroto Yoshioka (Saku Chosei H.S.) in 13:53.85, the top 8 all went under 14 minutes, with 9th through 14th all under 14:10. Yasunari Kusu (Ami AC) also took the senior men's 3000 mSC in 8:45.18. Upcoming highlights include the junior women's 3000 m on Friday and the junior men's 3000 m and senior women's 5000 m on Sunday.

Last up is the Chubu Region Corporate Track and Field Championships in Gifu. Chubu is the only corporate region with both a spring and fall track championship meet, and coming right before ekiden season it's had some good performances in the past. For men most of the talent is concentrated in the 10000 m, especially Heat 3 where top Kenyans Rodgers Kwemoi (Aisan Kogyo), Charles Kamau (NTN) and Bedan Karoki (Toyota) face marathoners Yuma Hattori (Toyota) and Daiji Kawai (Toenec), 27:33.13 man Tomoki Ota (Toyota), steeplechase Olympian Kosei Yamaguchi (Aisan Kogyo) and more. 3000 m is the main distance for women, where Ethiopians Zeyituna Husan and Desta Burka lead the Denso corporate women's team. Streaming of the men's 10000 m will be here starting at 15:50 local time Saturday, and here for the women's 3000 m and other events starting 8:50 a.m. Sunday.

World Championships Medalist Racewalking Coach Mizuho Sakai Recognized With Highest Coaching Honor

The 2023 Mizuno Sports Mentor Awards recognizing excellence in coaching were held Apr. 23 in Tokyo. Toyo University assistant coach and race walking coach Mizuho Sakai was given a gold award, the program's highest honor, and expressed her thanks and joy in a speech at the award ceremony. The coach of 2023 Budapest World Championships men's 35 km race walk bronze medalist Masatora Kawano , Sakai said, "This is an incredible honor and I'm truly grateful. As a child I wanted to be in the sporting world and I've spent my life in that world. My end goal was always to play a supporting role for other athletes, so I'm honored to be recognized in this way." Sakai's husband Toshiyuki Sakai , head coach of Toyo's three-time Hakone Ekiden champion team, attended the awards gala with her and was also introduced to the audience. After bowing he took a seat in front of her and watched with warmth as she received recognition for her outstanding work. The Mizun

Chesang and Kipkoech Win Hot Gifu Half

Hot conditions held back fast times at the Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon Sunday, where Ugandan Stella Chesang and Kenya Hillary Kipkoech took the top spots over last year's winners Dolphine Nyaboke Omare and Amos Kurgat . In the women's race Chesang, Omare and Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Chebichii Chumba went out as a trio, Japan-based Hellen Ekarare with them initially but eventually dropping out. After a 15:39 opening 5 km Chumba started to slip off, and by 15 km Chesang was on her own. Chesang won in 1:07:59, solid given the conditions, with Omare 2nd in 1:08:31 and Chumba 3rd in 1:09:10. Rinka Hida was the first Japanese woman, 5th overall in 1:12:06 behind Australian Genevieve Gregson . A lead men's pack of 11 went through 5 km in 14:31, but by 10 km it was down to Kipkoech, Kurgat, , Timothy Kiplagat , Ugandan Stephen Kissa and Japan-based Kenyans Patrick Mathenge Wambui and Anthony Maina . At 15 km in 43:40 only Kurgat and Kipkoech were left, and over the last 5

Okumoto and Kondo Score Silver and Bronze - U20 Asian Championships Day One

The U20 Asian Athletics Championships started Wednesday in Dubai, U.A.E. Narumi Okumoto (Hitachi) and Nozomi Kondo (Meijo Univ.) scored Japan's first two medals in the women's 3000 m, running behind leader Yaxuan Li of China over the first 1000 m. Kondo lost touch after the first 1000 m, while Okumoto lasted another 1000 m with Li. Li took gold in 9:12.79, Okumoto silver in 9:25.19 and Kondo bronze in 9:38.91. In qualifying rounds: Both Yuri Nishida (Ritsumeikan Univ.) and Sari Kameda (Kyoto Kyoiku Univ.) won their women's 800 m heats and advanced to the next round, Nishida in a PB 2:07.36 and Kamei in 2:10.87, also a PB. Shota Fuchigami (Waseda Univ.) won his 400 mH heat in a PB 50.19 to make the final. Hiroto Shogomori (Chuo Univ.) was 2nd in his 400 m heat in 47.37, yet another athlete to run a PB, moving on to the semifinals. The lone female sprinter on the Japanese team, Misaki Morimoto (Sonoda Joshi Gakuen Univ.) won her 100 m heat in 12.20 (-1.4) and advance

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