Skip to main content

Kyoyama Girls and Fuji Boys Win National Junior High School Ekiden Titles


The 32nd National Junior High School Ekiden took place Sunday at Kibogaoka Bunka Koen in Shiga. In the girls' race, Okayama's Kyoyama J.H.S. scored back-to-back titles with a 41:18 for the 5-leg, 12.0 km course. After a slow start from lead runner Wakana Minami, the Kyoyama girls moved up steadily, third runner Mei Iwasaki taking the lead with a stage win and fourth runner Chisato Shimoda setting a new stage record of 6:41 for her 2.0 km leg. It was only the sixth successful title defense in Nationals history, with Kyoyama joining past two-time champions Gotemba J.H.S. (Shizuoka), Nakanojo J.H.S. (Gunma), Fujimi J.H.S. (Gunma), Katsura J.H.S. (Kyoto), and Inami J.H.S. (Hyogo).

47 seconds back in 2nd was Osawano J.H.S. (Toyama), whose fifth runner Shiho Kurokawa, winner of last year's third leg, had the fastest time on her leg again. Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S. (Kagoshima) was 3rd, whose anchor Kirari Takeda, fastest on the second leg win last year, passed 3 people to move Kamimura Gakuen into 3rd.

In the 6-leg, 18.0 km boys' race, Saitama's Fuji J.H.S. took the win in 57:17 in its Nationals debut. 14th after the first leg, Fuji moved up to 3rd with a big run from second runner Tomoki Hasanuddin, Fifth runner Haruma Kuno took them to 2nd, and final runner Ryo Uematsu, 5th in the 3000 m at this year's National Junior High School Track and Field Championships, turned in a heroic CR performance to overtake Abiko J.H.S. anchor Taishi Gosa.

Chiba's Abiko was 2nd, with Shizuoka's Hosoe J.H.S. dropping to 3rd after leading on the fourth and fifth legs.

32nd National Junior High School Ekiden

Kibogaoka Bunka Koen, Shiga, 15 Dec. 2024

Girls' Race
48 teams, 5 stages, 12.0 km

Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Ema Gendai (Minami J.H.S.) - 10:15
Second Stage (2.0 km) - Nozomu Tanaka (Honami Nishi J.H.S.) - 6:45
Third Stage (2.0 km) - Mei Iwasaki (Kyoyama J.H.S.) - 6:55
Fourth Stage (2.0 km) - Chisato Shimoda (Kyoyama J.H.S.) - 6:41 - CR
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Shiho Kurokawa (Osawano J.H.S.) - 10:17

Top Team Performances
1. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 41:18
2. Osawano J.H.S. (Toyama) - 42:05
3. Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S. (Kagoshima) - 42:51
4. Tono J.H.S. (Iwate) - 43:10
5. Koka J.H.S. (Kyoto) - 43:15
6. Matsubashi J.H.S. (Kumamoto) - 43:17
7. Minami J.H.S. (Ehime) - 43:30
8. Hosoe J.H.S. (Shizuoka) - 43:32
9. Funehiki J.H.S. (Fukushima) - 43:35
10. Daiju J.H.S. (Yamagata) - 43:44

Boys' Race
48 teams, 6 stages, 18.0 km

Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Hiromu Kamosaku (Kushigata J.H.S.) - 9:08
Second Stage (3.0 km) - Haru Tsutsui (IS Junior Ekiden Club) - 9:16
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Ayato Tamagawa (Kyoyama J.H.S.) - 9:15
Fourth Stage (3.0 km) - Genta Tsuge (Hosoe J.H.S.) - 9:07
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Kai Hoshina (Daigo J.H.S.) - 9:40
Sixth Stage (3.0 km) - Ryo Uematsu (Fuji J.H.S.) - 9:07 - CR

Top Team Performances
1. Fuji J.H.S. (Saitama) - 57:17
2. Abiko J.H.S. (Chiba) - 57:51
3. Hosoe J.H.S. (Shizuoka) - 57:57
4. Saka J.H.S. (Hiroshima) - 58:13
5. Iwanashiro J.H.S. (Fukushima) - 58:14
6. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 58:23
7. Matsubashi J.H.S. (Kumamoto) - 58:29
8. Oyodo J.H.S. (Miyazaki) -58:45
9. Kokufu J.H.S. (Yamaguchi) - 59:02
10. Chukyo J.H.S. (Fukuoka) - 59:05

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...
4 comments
Read more

Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance?  Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance.  This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere.  It was put into place in 1986.  In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made.  Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km.  When a bicycle is u...
2 comments
Read more

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

photo © 2025 Victah Sailer/Photo Run, all rights reserved On Jan. 8 the Edion women's corporate team announced that Ai Hosoda , 30, will retire at the end of March this year. The Tokyo Marathon will be her last race. At Nagano Higashi H.S. Hosoda ran in the National High School Ekiden her 2nd and 3rd years. During her 3rd year at Nittai University she won both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships, going on to win the bronze medal in the 10000 m at the World University Games in her 4th year at Nittai. After graduating she joined the Daihatsu corporate team, debuting at the 2019 Nagoya Women's Marathon in 2:29:27. 2 years later she transferred to Edion. She qualified for the Paris Olympics marathon trials at the 2022 Nagoya Women's Marathon and finished 3rd in the trials in the fall of 2023, but was later bumped down to Olympic alternate after another athlete ran a faster time. Instead of the Olympics, Hosoda ran the 2024 Ber...
2 comments
Read more