japan running news

by Brett Larner photo by Kazuyuki Sugimatsu After setting a girls' heptathlon junior national record over the last two days, Meg Hemphill (Kyoto Bunkyo H.S.) returned with another big day to wrap up the 2014 Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships.  Dominating the heats and semi-finals of the 100 m hurdles, Hemphill ran 13.72 (-0.9) to win the final by 0.11 over Sayaka Kobayashi (Anjo Gakuen H.S.).  Doubling in the 4x400 m relay, she anchored Kyoto Bunkyo 's team to a 3rd-place finish in 3:44.62, a long way behind winner Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. in 3:39.17 but just 0.03 out of 2nd behind Soyo H.S.   Taking all of her achievements at this year's Championships together Hemphill looks set to be one of Japan's big new names on the track. Boys' 400 m hurdles champion Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) likewise showed good range.  After winning the 400 mH title on Friday, Furuya returned to take the 110 m hurdles title in 14.05 running into a -...

by Brett Larner Days after jumping a PB 7.71 m for 5th in the boys' long jump at Oregon's World Junior Championships, Kodai Sakuma (Hosei Prep Daini H.S.) was the star of day three of the 2014 National High School Track and Field Championships in Kofu, Yamanashi.  In the long jump, Sakuma jumped a meet record and new PB of 7.80 m for 1st.  Doubling back in the 4x100 m he helped Hosei Daini take the win there as well, and on the strength of these two wins the Hosei Daini boys advanced to first in the overall school standings.  Another meet record fell in the boys' shot put, where Ayumu Ishiyama (Hanazono H.S.) threw a record 17.40 m to win by almost 60 cm. Mai Shimizu (Shiga Gakuen H.S.) had a big throw of 46.36 m to win the girls' discus by nearly one meter, while Soyo H.S. turned heads in the girls' 4x100 m with a winning time of 45.88.  Other winners included Ryosuke Kashi (Shikama Kogyo H.S.), who took the boys' 5000 m race walk in 21:05.94, boys...