japan running news

by Brett Larner

With the opening of the Tokyo Marathon expo tomorrow JRN will be focused on coverage of what looks set to be the most exciting edition yet.  Check back starting tomorrow for our race previews and other coverage.

But there is other action lined up across Japan this weekend.  First and foremost is Saturday's Fukuoka International Cross-Country Meet.  Fukuoka usually plays the role of one of the two selection races for the Japanese teams for the World Cross-Country Championships, but with no World XC this year only places on the Japanese team's for next month's Asian Cross-Country Championships and April's World University Cross-Country Championships are there for the taking.  The junior races are as always stacked with the best high school talent and the senior women's 6 km promises a great rematch between defending champ Hitomi Niiya (Sakura AC) and 5000 m national champion Megumi Kinukawa (Mizuno), but the most interesting race looks set to be the s…

by Brett Larner

Two of Japan's big spring 10-milers took place this weekend, the Himejijo Road Race on Saturday and the Karatsu Road Race on Sunday.  In Himeji, two-time 5000 m national champion Kazuyoshi Tokumoto (Team Nissin Shokuhin) won his second road race of the year, outkicking Takuji Morimoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) to win the men's 10 mile race in 47:34.  It was also his second time winning Himejijo, having taken top honors at the 2006 race.  Tokumoto plans to run next month's Biwako Mainichi Marathon before leaving Nissin to take a university coaching position.  In the women's 5 km, Yoko Aizu (Team Shikoku Denryoku) had an easy win in 16:17, 11 seconds ahead of teammate Yuka Tagahara.

Sunday's Karatsu Road Race proved to be the bigger of the two.  In the men's 10 mile race, Komazawa University graduate Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu) had the first big result of his pro career, outkicking double 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B…

by Brett Larner

The last national championship women's ekiden of the season takes place this Sunday, Jan. 15 in Kyoto.  The National Interprefectural Women's Ekiden Championships have one of the most interesting formats on the circuit, with teams of nine women ranging from junior high schoolers to pros running for teams representing Japan's 47 prefectures.  The open stages are one of the few chances to see the best high school, university and pro women battle it out, while the stages reserved for junior high and high school runners often feature breakout performances by unknowns.  The commercial-free national broadcast and outstanding online coverage begins on NHK at 12:15 p.m.  Overseas viewers should be able to watch live online via Keyhole TV using the password NHK, with English-language commentary available once again via Twitter @JRNLive.

Final start lists at the men's and women's National Interprefectural Ekidens are notoriously unpredictable compared to the …

by Brett Larner

Less than a month after her disappointing loss at the Yokohama International Women's Marathon, 2009 World Championships marathon silver medalist Yoshimi Ozaki bounced back to put Team Daiichi Seimei ahead on the First Stage of the National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships.  The team never relinquished its frontrunning position, riding the lead all the way to the end as rookie anchor Tomomi Tanaka won her stage to bring Daiichi Seimei back in 2:17:17 in the Championships' first running in its new home of Sendai.  East Japan region teams dominated the day, taking the top three spots.

Despite a challenging, uphill course with a prevailing headwind, the upper end of the field shaped up very closely to the pre-race rankings, with three of the top four running within 8 seconds of their times at the regional qualifiers.  Daiichi Seimei was 4 seconds faster, runner up Team Panasonic was 8 seconds slower, and 4th-place Team Tenmaya only 1 second slower than it…

by Brett Larner

For the first time at this World Championships, a Japanese track runner ran an assertive race. Running the same way she did at June's National Championships 5000 m, 2007 Tokyo Marathon winner Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) took Heat One of the women's 5000 m out at near-PB pace, 3:03.70 for the first km, and led for the first half of the heat before being overtaken.  Niiya was rewarded for her honest effort by qualifying for the final.  10000 m national champion Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) ran more passively in the same heat, hanging back and finishing too far down to qualify.  In Heat Two Russian Elizaveta Greshichnikova ran in similar, if significantly slower, frontrunning fashion to Niiya and likewise went through to the final. 5000 m national champion Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno), who finished last in Saturday's 10000 m, stayed back in the pack, perhaps planning to rely on her characteristic long surge finish.  After a slow first half her time of 15:38.…

2011 World Championships 
Women's 10000 m Final
Daegu, Korea, 8/27/11
click here for complete results

1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) - 30:48.98 - PB
2. Sally Kipyego (Kenya) - 30:50.04
3. Linet Masai (Kenya) - 30:53.59
4. Priscah Cherono (Kenya) - 30:56.43 - PB
5. Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) - 30:56.55
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14. Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 32:32.22
15. Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) - 32:53.89
17. Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) - 34:08.37

Women's 3000 mSC Heat Two
Daegu, Korea, 8/27/11
click here for complete results

1. Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia) - 9:32.48 - Q
2. Lydia Rotich (Kenya) - 9:36.70 - Q
3. Sara Moreira (Portugal) - 9:36.97 - Q
4. Emma Coburn (U.S.A.) - 9:38.42 - Q
5. Lyubov Kharlamova (Russia) - 9:40.04 - q
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8. Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) - 10:05.34

by Brett Larner

Japan's medal chances in the long distance events at the Daegu World Championships may be very slim at best, but the country is nevertheless sending a strong contingent including three national record holders and some of the best young talent to have emerged in recent years.  Chief among them are Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin), on the cusp of a national record in the last two years, and the resurgent Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno), the women's 10000 m junior national record holder coached by Samuel Wanjiru's high school-era coach Takao Watanabe.

2011 World Championships Japanese Long Distance Team

Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - Men's 10000 m
2011 national champion, 10000 m
Born: Nov. 26, 1986 (24 yrs.)
PB: 27:38.25 (2009; all-time Japanese #3)
3000 m: 7:44.63 (2010; all-time Japanese #2)
5000 m: 13:23.57 (2006)

In university Sato was described by his competitors as a monster, breaking Hakone Ekiden stage records his first three years and just missing a …

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/region/news/110714/smn11071401520000-n1.htm

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Named to the Japanese national team for next month's World Track and Field Championships in Daegu, Korea, 10000 m runner Kayo Sugihara (28, Team Denso) visited her former high school, Izumo Shogyo H.S. in Izumo, Shimane, on Aug. 13.  Sugihara won the 10000 m at June's National Track and Field Championships.  In 2007 she ran the 5000 m at the Osaka World Championships, meaning Daegu will be her second appearance at Worlds.  "I want to run an active race and break my best time," she told the assembled crowd with resolve.

Sugihara spoke in the high school's auditorium in front of a crowd of 200 including 158 seniors, 9 members of the school's track and field team, Izumo Shogyo graduates and assorted visitors.  Her former coach Koji Yamane talked about Sugihara's high school-era running, saying, "At first she got injured a lot and had constant proble…

by Brett Larner
On the first two days of this weekend's Japanese National Track & Field Championships in Kumagaya, Saitama, five athletes secured guaranteed places on the Japanese national team for this summer's Daegu World Championships. Eight more had the right combination of placing and time to stand a chance of being selected for the team. Below is a summary of results from all event finals held on Day One and Day Two.
In noteworthy performances apart from the men's and women's 10000 m:
-The men's 200 m lived up to expectations as one of the best events of the meet. Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) came back from a long injury setback to win the final in 20.49. 2nd and 3rd place Hitoshi Saito (Team Sunmesse) and Yuichi Kobayashi (Hosei Univ.) were both timed at 20.62 and are very likely to join Takahira in Daegu. 2010 world junior champion Shota Iizuka (Chuo Univ.) was 4th in 20.64, just missing a place on the team but with …

by Brett Larner

In thick humidity Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) won their first national 10000 m titles June 10 on the first day of the 2011 Japanese National Track & Field Championships at Kumagaya Dome in Kumagaya, Saitama. Coming into Nationals already holding World Championships-elligible marks set at May's Cardinal Invitational, both Sato and Sugihara ran conservative, sit-and-kick races to take both their titles, Sato winning the men's race in 28:10.87 and Sugihara the women's race in 32:18.79. Sugihara earned a guaranteed spot on the Daegu World Championships team, with a Sato a provisional entry.


In the absence of defending champion Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) and top-ranked men Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) and Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) the race was expected to be between the three fastest men of the year so far, Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta), Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Akinobu Murasawa …

by Brett Larner
updated 6/10/11 to reflect starting list changes

The 2011 Japanese National Track and Field Championships kick off Friday, June 10 in the wildlands of Kumagaya, Saitama. The major selection event for this summer's World Championships team, on their first day this year's Nationals feature primarily heats for the sprints and middle distances along with the finals for a half dozen field events and, what will likely be two of the highlights of the meet, the men's and women's 10000 m.
The men's 10000 m should be one of the most competitive in Japanese history, on paper at the very least. 10 men in the field have broken 28 minutes, 9 of them with valid World Championships B-standard marks. With the unfortunate withdrawal of defending national champion Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) and the fastest Japanese man of 2010, Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) the favorite is Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta), strong all year with PB marks at 5000 m, 10000 m …

by Brett Larner

This is the first of JRN's four-part year-end review. Look for the second part, the top 10 Japanese men of 2010, tomorrow, and the next two parts, the top 10 Japanese men and women of 2001-2010 and a look at the history and future of Japanese marathoning, early in the new year.

There is no way around it: 2010 was the weakest year in Japanese women's distance running since it reached the world-class level. For the first time Japanese women marathoners finished outside the top three worldwide ranked by average of the ten fastest times of the year (see the forthcoming part four of JRN's review). Only one woman broke 70 minutes in the half-marathon. Overall 5000 m and 10000 m performances were among the weakest of the decade. To be fair, performances in Asian Games years are typically slower, there was no fall domestic elite women's marathon this year, and many of the major spring races suffered bad weather conditions, but the reality of a slump is still ther…