Sadakata and Ichiyama Win Hakodate Half, NR Holder Suzuki Back in First Race Since Tokyo '22

Sunday's other big race in Hokkaido was the Hakodate Half Marathon and Marathon, where members of Japan's marathon squad for August's Budapest World Championships and qualifiers for October's MGC Race Olympic marathon trials tune up for their races. In the men's half marathon, Shun Sadakata held off Evans Kipkemei to take the win by 2 seconds in a PB and CR 1:01:37. Hideyuki Tanaka took 3rd in 1:01:40, with Dan Kiplangat the only other runner under 62 in 1:01:54 for 4th.

Half marathon NR holder Yusuke Ogura was 6th in 1:02:38, and close behind him was marathon NR holder Kengo Suzuki, 7th in 1:02:46. For Suzuki it was the first time he'd made it to the starting line of a race since the March, 2022 Tokyo Marathon, and as the first MGC qualifier to finish in Hakodate his performance there was good enough to generate a collective sigh of relief. Budapest marathon team member Kazuya Nishiyama didn't have the same kind of day, only 15th in 1:03:58.

Women-only marathon NR holder Mao Ichiyama took the top spot in the women's half marathon, running 1:10:23. MGC qualifier Mizuki Tanimoto and track runner Yuka Takashima were 2nd and 3rd in 1:10:58 and 1:11:58, with 30 km NR holder Honami Maeda 6th in 1:12:32.

In the marathon, MGC qualifier Naoki Okamoto won by over two minutes in a training run effort 2:15:56, a CR by over 2 minutes. Club runner Yukie Matsumura won the women's marathon in 2:45:46.

Hakodate Half Marathon

Hakodate, Hokkaido, 25 June 2023

Women's Half Marathon

1. Mao Ichiyama (Shiseido) - 1:10:23

2. Mizuki Tanimoto (Tenmaya) - 1:10:58

3. Yuka Takashima (Shiseido) - 1:11:58

4. Mao Kiyota (Suzuki) - 1:12:01

5. Saki Tokoro (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 1:12:18

6. Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) - 1:12:32

7. Momoko Watanabe (Tenmaya) - 1:13:15

8. Hikaru Kitagawa (Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 1:13:37

9. Natsumi Matsushita (Tenmaya) - 1:15:12

10. Arisa Nakao (Universal Entertainment) - 1:15:54

Men's Half Marathon

1. Shun Sadakata (Mazda) - 1:01:37 - CR

2. Evans Kipkemei (JFE Steel) - 1:01:39

3. Hideyuki Tanaka (Toyota) - 1:01:40

4. Dan Kiplangat (JFE Steel) - 1:01:54

5. Ryuichi Hashimoto (Press Kogyo) - 1:02:31

6. Yusuke Ogura (Yakult) - 1:02:38

7. Kengo Suzuki (Fujitsu) - 1:02:46

8. Paul Onyiego (Fujisan no Meisui) - 1:02:54

9. Yudai Shimazu (GMO) - 1:03:02

10. Masaru Aoki (Kao) - 1:03:11

Women's Marathon

1. Sachie Matsumura (Nike) - 2:45:46

2. Kasumi Takahama (unattached) - 2:56:54

3. Emi Saito (unattached) - 2:58:26

Men's Marathon

1. Naoki Okamoto (Chugoku Denryoku) - 2:15:56 - CR

2. Takuma Shibata (Komori Corp.) - 2:18:08

3. Takuma Kumagai (Sumitomo Denko) - 2:22:39

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

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

Hirabayashi Runs PB at Shanghai Half, WR Holder Nakata Dominates Fuji Five Lakes - Weekend Road Roundup

Returning to the roads after his 2:06:18 win at February's Osaka Marathon, Kiyoto Hirabayashi (Koku Gakuin University) took 5th at Sunday's Shanghai Half Marathon in a PB 1:01:23, just under a minute behind winner Roncer Kipkorir Konga (Kenya) who clocked a CR 1:00:29. After inexplicably running the equivalent of a sub-59 half marathon to win the Hakone Ekiden's Third Stage, Aoi Ota (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) was back to running performances consistent with his other PBs with a 1:02:30 for 8th. His AGU teammate Kyosuke Hiramatsu was 10th in 1:04:00. Women's winner Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) also set a new CR in 1:09:57. Aoyama Gakuin runners took the top four spots in the men's half marathon at the Aomori Sakura Marathon , with Hakone alternate Kosei Shiraishi getting the win in 1:04:32 and B-team members Shunto Hamakawa and Kei Kitamura 2nd and 3rd in 1:04:45 and 1:04:48. Club runners took the other division titles, Hina Shinozaki winning the women's half

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