Skip to main content

Koyama Sweeps Girls' and Boys' Titles at National Junior High School Ekiden


The Kyoyama J.H.S. girls and boys won Sunday's National Junior High School Ekiden in Shiga's Kibogaoka Bunka Park, becoming only the second school in the event's 31-year history to sweep both titles. In the five-stage, 12.0 km girls' race, Kyoyama's Haruka Higuchi was 9th on the 3.0 km opening leg. Running 2.0 km each, Wakana Minami and Mei Iwasaki moved up through the field into 2nd, and with a stage-winning run Mayu Ishihara put them into the lead.

Anchoring the Kyoyama girls was National Junior High School Championships 1500 m winner Rikka Kuroda. Kuroda comes from a strong running family, with her father Masayoshi Kuroda having run the Hakone Ekiden for Hosei University, her oldest brother Asahi Kuroda having won his stage at this year's Izumo Ekiden for Aoyama Gakuin University, and her middle brother Zen Kuroda of Tamano Konan H.S. having placed 2nd in the 3000 mSC at this year's National High School Championships.

Kuroda dropped 2nd-place Osawano J.H.S. to break the finish time, where her teammates waited to celebrate the win with her. "Everyone wanted me to run anchor, and I really wanted to run anchor too," she said post-race. "Mayu had opened a lead on 2nd when she handed off to me, and I was determined to keep 1st and win."

In the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race, Kyoyama's lead runner Ayato Tamagawa got off to a rough start in 24th. But second runner Shu Shinohara passed 13 people and third runner Takeru Tsurufuji another nine to put Kyoyama into 2nd. Fourth runner Kota Kawamoto held onto that position, and fifth runner Shoma Takei picked up one more place to put anchor Takeru Nagahara into position for the win.

On the final stage, Nagahara ran head-to-head with Kokufu J.H.S. anchor Yuto Sasaki. Entering the track for the last lap to the finish Sasaki surged and got a gap on Nagahara. But on the final corner Nagahara came back to pass Sasaki in the home straight, pulling off the win by just 1 second, a thrilling duel that gave Kyoyama the national title.

Asked about the head-to-head sprint finish post-race, Nagahara said, "I told myself that I had to win it here, this was the only chance to win. I put everything I had from the last three years into it." Head coach Takeshi Hirokawa commented, "I want to say congratulations to them from the bottom of my heart. He had me going there for a minute at the end, but Nagahara ran like the captain that he is. You could feel the captain's spirit in him."

After the Kyoyama boys won they celebrated and high fived with their girls' national champion teammates, sharing in the joy of achieving a rare double national title.

31st National Junior High School Ekiden

Kibogaoka Bunka Park, Shiga, 17 Dec. 2023
girls: 5 stages, 12.0 km
boys: 6 stages, 18.0 km

Girls Top Team Results
1. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 42:16
2. Osawano J.H.S. (Toyama) - 43:05
3. Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S. (Kagoshima) - 43:23
4. Minami Joyo J.H.S. (Kyoto) - 43:49
5. Arato J.H.S. (Gunma) - 43:50
6. Ako J.H.S. (Nagano) - 43:51
7. Takuma J.H.S. (Kumamoto) - 43:51
8. Takagawa Gakuen J.H.S. (Yamaguchi) - 44:00

Girls Stage Best Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Madoka Inai (Arato J.H.S.) - 10:18
Second Stage (2.0 km) - Kirari Takeda (Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S.) - 6:56
Third Stage (2.0 km) - Shiho Kurokawa (Osawano J.H.S.) - 6:53
Fourth Stage (2.0 km) - Mayu Ishihara (Kyoyama J.H.S.) - 6:50
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Margaret Muthoni (Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S.) - 9:52

Boys Top Team Results
1. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 58:03
2. Kokufu J.H.S. (Yamaguchi) - 58:04
3. Nakanoto J.H.S. (Ishikawa) - 58:24
4. Ibaraki AC J.H.S. (Osaka) - 58:37
5. Mishima J.H.S. (Tochigi) - 58:41
6. Kobayashi J.H.S. (Miyazaki) - 58:42
7. Takada J.H.S. (Oita) - 58:44
8. Sone J.H.S. (Fukuoka) - 58:58

Boys Stage Best Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Shusuke Kobayashi (Arato J.H.S.) - 9:19
Second Stage (3.0 km) - Rei Otoshi (Koyo J.H.S.) - 9:22
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Koki Momota (Nishi Isahaya J.H.S.) - 9:27
Fourth Stage (3.0 km) - Ado Takenoshita (Minami Joyo J.H.S.) - 9:22
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Taiga Tokunaga (Yasuhiro J.H.S.) - 9:32
Sixth Stage (3.0 km) - Hakuga Deguchi (Senju Sakura Tsutsumi J.H.S.) - 9:17


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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
Post a Comment
Read more

Goshima and Kasai Win 10000 m National Titles, Maeda Breaks U20 Asian Record

Rino Goshima and Jun Kasai stepped up with PBs to win the 2024 National Championships 10000 m titles Friday at Shizuoka's Ecopa Stadium. In the women's race, Goshima, 4th in last December's 2023 National Championships 10000 m, went out front from the start with Kenyan teammate Judy Jepngetich pacing and 2023 3rd-placer Haruka Kokai in tow. Things were never on track to hit the 30:40.00 Paris Olympics standard, but except for a brief dip to 3:08 at 7000 m Goshima held steady at 3:05 to 3:06/km even as Kokai and Jepngetich fell off. With blood dripping from her left knee after getting spiked by Jepngetich, Goshima closed in 3:03 to take 5 seconds off her best from December's Nationals and win in 30:53.31, moving up to all-time Japanese #6. Jepngetich also PBd at 31:09.42 without counting in the standings, with Kokai 2nd in 31:10.53 and Kazuna Kanetomo 3rd in a PB 31:59.29. The runner-up last time, Yuka Takashima was last in 33:33.27. The men's race went out in a
1 comment
Read more

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
1 comment
Read more