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Iwatani Sangyo Launches Women's Ekiden Team Coached by Hisakazu Hirose

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20170330/ath17033017380002-n1.html

translated by Brett Larner

The Iwatani Sangyo corporation held a press conference in Osaka on Mar. 30 to announce the launch of its new women's ekiden team on Apr. 1.  Head coach Hisakazu Hirose, who guided Mizuki Noguchi to the 2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medal, spoke of his ambitions for the team, telling the media, "There are three years left until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  I want to try for it."

Nanami Aoki, who stood at the peak of the high school and university ekiden scene as part of the Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. and Ritsumeikan Univ. teams, and the other members of the initial squad of six were introduced along with the team's orange uniform.  The team dormitory in its home base of Mino, Osaka is set to be completed in September.  Coach Hirose commented, "Our first competition will be May's Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships.  My goal is to cultivate anoth…
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Ritsumeikan University Takes Eighth National University Women's Ekiden Title

by Brett Larner

Defending national champion Ritsumeikan University added an eighth title to its legacy Oct. 27 in Sendai, winning the 31st National University Women's Ekiden Championships after leading start to finish.  First Stage runner Natsuki Omori got things off by winning the 6.4 km opening leg by a second over Ayumi Uehara of Matsuyama University despite a fall midway through the stage, and from there the Ritsumeikan women never looked back.  Ritsumeikan runners won five of the day's six stages, only Juntendo University's Nanaka Izawa spoiling their day with a win on the 9.2 km Fifth Stage.

With the Kansai region typically seen as the center of collegiate women's distance running, four of this year's top ten schools were from the Kanto region, better known for the strength of its men's programs.  Daito Bunka University was the top Kanto school, 2nd overall on the strength of quality runs from its identical twins Eri and Mari Tayama. Coached by Keiichi …
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Course Records at Chunichi Hamanako Ekiden

by Brett Larner

In what was really and truly probably the last noteworthy ekiden of the season, course records fell Feb. 17 in two of the three divisions at the 37th Chunichi Hamanako Isshu Ekiden at Lake Hamana in Shizuoka.  Despite the absence of aces Martin Mathathi and Yusei Nakao, the Suzuki Hamamatsu AC team had no trouble winning the 53.5 km men's race, clocking 2:42:49 to runner-up Teikyo University's 2:44:15.  Suzuki men took three of the five stages, with 2010-11 steeplechase national champion Tsuyoshi Takeda setting a course record of 29:12 for the 9.6 km Fourth Stage.

In the six-stage, 42.0 km high school boys' race, 2012 National High School Ekiden runner-up Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. ran 2:07:38 to set a new overall course record thanks to four of its runners scoring stage bests.  Fourth man Yuki Hirota, running the same 9.6 km course as Takeda in the men's race, set a new high school division record of 28:44, almost 30 seconds better than Takeda's mark.  T…
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Haruka Kyuma Wins 5000 m at Kyoto Championships

http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/sports/article/20120713000152

translated and edited by Brett Larner

Seven events saw finals on the first day of the Kyoto Track and Field Championships at Nishi Kyogoku Sports Park Field.  Among them, Kyoto native and Ayabe H.S. graduate Haruka Kyuma (1st yr., Tsukuba Univ.) ran 15:54.33 to win the women's 5000 m for the first time. Kazuki Noda (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) won the men's 5000 m in 14:23.60, while 38-year-old Yoshihisa Fukumoto (Kyoto T&F Assoc.) took his eleventh high jump title, five years since his last win.

Translator's note: Kyuma's identical twin sister Moe Kyuma ran for the Japanese team at this year's World Junior Championships.

Kyoto Track & Field Championships Women's 5000 m
Nishi Kyogoku Sports Park Field, Kyoto, 7/13/12

1. Haruka Kyuma (Tsukuba Univ.) - 15:54.33
2. Chika Ogawa (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:12.69
3. Nanami Aoki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 16:14.08
4. Chinami Mori (Bukkyo Univ.) - 16:22.03
5. Ai Furukubo (Kyo…
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Osaka Wins First National Women's Ekiden Championships Title in 19 Years

Yuka Tokuda gives Osaka the National Women's Ekiden win in 2:16:37. Click photo for video highlights courtesy of broadcaster NHK.

by Brett Larner

The Osaka women's team emerged from nowhere to take a surprise win at the 30th anniversary National Interprefectural Women's Ekiden Championships Jan. 15 in Kyoto, leading wire to wire to score its first national title in 19 years.  First Stage runner Ryoko Kizaki, winner of November's Yokohama International Women's Marathon Olympic selection race, got things off on the right by taking the 6.0 km opening leg by a margin of 2 seconds.  Chizuru Ideta followed up on the 4.0 km Second Stage, second-fastest on time but holding on to the narrow lead, but Third Stage junior high school runner Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu, half-Japanese daughter of Kenyan 2001 Nagano Marathon winner Maxwell Musembi, deserves much of the credit for opening up a permanent lead despite only running 3.0 km.  Takamatsu was second on her stage on time but …
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Shibui Slays Tenmaya for Kita-Kyushu Invitational Win

by Brett Larner

You can't keep a great champion down. Mostly absent from competition with injuries and motivation issues for the two years since winning the 2009 Osaka International Women's Marathon, 10000 m national record holder Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) looked well on her way to staging the nth comeback of a career full of ups and downs Jan. 23 at the Kita-Kyushu Women's Invitational Ekiden, the last major women's ekiden of the season. Starting the 11.7 km anchor leg 47 seconds back from leader Yurika Nakamura of 2010 National Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden winners Team Tenmaya, Shibui virtually singlehandedly won the race as she finished the stage 48 seconds ahead in 1st. Although she was far from the stage record, Shibui also took the best time on the stage by 15 seconds over 2010 Nagoya International Women's Marathon winner Yuri Kano (Second Wind AC), clocking 37:12.

Before Shibui's outstanding performance Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo was runni…
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