Morota Breaks Pole Vault NR - Asian Games Athletics Day 4 Highlights

Women's pole vault national record holder Misaki Morota kicked off the evening session on the fourth day of athletics competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a new NR and a silver medal. Morota cleared every height from 3.80 m to 4.40 m on her first attempt, then did it again at 4.48 m, 7 cm over her old record. China's Ling Li and Chung Niu only jumped once each, both clearing 4.30 m on their first attempts, leaving all three women to go for 4.53 m. Li made it on her first attempt, but both Morota and Niu failed, leaving Li in gold, Morota in silver and Niu in the bronze position. Li went on from there to make it over 4.63 m, breaking her own Games record by 3 cm.

In the men's 200 m final, Koki Ueyama took the final in 20.60 (-0.2), beating Saudi Abdullah Akbar Mohammed by 0.03 to win Japan's first athletics gold medal in Hangzhou. Chun-Han Yang of Taiwan edged out veteran Femi Ogunode of Qatar for bronze, 20.74 to 20.75. A few minutes later Shunya Takayama delivered a second gold, winning the men's 110 mH in 13.41 (-0.4). Kuwait's Yaqoub Alyouha clocked the same time and was jointly awarded the gold, with China's Zhuoyi Xu taking bronze in 13.50. Japan's Shuhei Ishikawa was 5th in 13.63.

Women's long jump NR holder Sumire Hata came up short of the medals. China's Shiqi Xiong, India's Ancy Sojan Edappilly and Hong Kong's Nga Yan Yue all jumped PBs to take the medal spots, Xiong in 6.73 m (-0.0), Edappilly in 6.63 m (+0.3) and Yue in 6.50 m (+0.1). But Hata, who jumped her 6.97 m NR at July's Bangkok Asian Championships but only 6.41 m at the Budapest World Championships in August, was stuck in the 6.40s, going 6.42 m (+0.3) on her 3rd attempt, 6.48 m (+0.4) on her 4th, and 6.48 (+0.1) on her 5th, leaving her just 2 cm outside medal territory.

In the men's decathlon, Yuma Maruyama and Shun Taue stood in 4th and 5th after the first day of competition with 3880 and 3663 points. Both ran well in the 100 m, Maruyama with the fastest time in the 100 m at 10.96 (+1.0) and Taue 3rd at 11.08 (+1.0), but had the two lowest clearances in the high jump, Maruyama making 1.85 m and Taue only 1.82 m. India's Tejaswin Shankar led with 4260 points, China's Qihao Sun 2nd with 4010 and Thailand's Suttisak Singkhon 3rd with 4004.

In qualification rounds:

Both Tomohiro Shinno and Ryoichi Akamatsu cleared 2.15 m to make the men's high jump final, Shinno winning Group B and Akamatsu 2nd in Group A. WR holder Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar lead Group A with a 2.19 m clearance on his only jump.
Asian Games record holders China led the men's 4x100 m heats with a 38.62 season best in Heat 1, South Korea just behind with a 38.75 SB for 2nd. Asian record holders Japan led Heat 2 in 38.99.
NR holder Sho Kawamoto was eliminated in the men's 800 m, finishing 5th in Heat 3 in 1:52.93. India's Mohammed Pulikkalakath was the fastest qualifier, winning Heat 2 in 1:46.79.
Both Kazuki Kurokawa and Yusaku Kodama made the men's 400 m hurdles final, Kurokawa winning Heat 2 in 49.80 and Kodama getting through on time with a 49.99 for 3rd in Heat 1.
Ami Yamamoto also made it through in the women's 400 mH, running 57.55 for 5th in Heat 1.

Complete results here. The Hangzhou Asian Games continue through Thursday.

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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