japan running news

by Brett Larner
videos by naoki620

detailed day-by-day National High School Championships coverage:
Day One ・ Day Two・ Day Three・ Day Four・ Day Five

Despite sometimes extreme conditions with temperatures in the mid-30s throughout the five days of the 2015 Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships at Wakayama's Kimiidera Field performances were at a high level in most events, with thirteen new records set including two junior national records and two high school national records.



By far the star of the show was Haruko Ishizuka (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.), who showed outstanding range in everything from 100 m to 800 m.  Including heats and semifinals she ran a total of fourteen races in five different events in five days, sometimes with less than an hour between them, but still produced a 57.06 400 mH junior national record and high school national record, #4 among juniors in the world this year, a 53.30 National High School Championships record in the 400 m, a s…

by Brett Larner
videos by naoki620



After a National High School Track and Field Championships packed with new records including two junior and high school national records, three more meet records capped the final day of competition, hot temperatures in the mid-30's notwithstanding. Nao Kanai (Kawasaki Tachibana H.S.) got things started in the boys' 110 m hurdles with a record 13.85, the only boy to go under 14 seconds despite a strong +1.4 m/s tailwind.  Chihiro Nozaki (Rakunan H.S.) followed up in the boys' triple jump with a 15.80 m meet record jump to win by almost 75 cm.  Shinichi Yukinaga (Seiko Gakuen H.S.) rounded out the action in the boys' discus throw with a mark of 55.59 m for the win, like Kanai short of his PB but enough for a new National High School Championships record.



The girls' 3000 m had an unexpected turn of events when favorite Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.), the 2014 Youth Olympics 3000 m gold medalist, losing a sho…

by Brett Larner

Over half of the small Japanese track and field contingent at the 2014 Youth Olympics saw action on the first day of competition, with over half of those qualifying for the A-level final in their events.  4th in the 3000 m at this year's World Junior Championships, Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu, the daughter of 2001 Nagano Marathon winner Maxwell Musembi, led the way with a time of 9:08.01 for 4th in the girls' 3000 m qualification round, the only runner in the top five not to PB but only 1.14 seconds behind winner Fatuma Chebsi (Bahrain).  2014 National High School champions Hina Takahashi and Yuji Hiramatsu finished 4th in their events' qualifying rounds to both make their A finals, Takahashi quick enough at 2:09.59 in the girls' 800 m and Hiramatsu one of only five athletes to clear 2.10 m in the boys' high jump.  Boys' discus national youth record holder Yume Ando threw 55.87 m for 6th in the qualifying round, good enough to also make the A final…

by Brett Larner

Amid concerns for athletes' safety in a city with strong resentment of Japanese denial of the Nanking Massacre, with delegation head Yosuke Fujiwara directing team members not to wear their uniforms outside the athletes' village and boos greeting the Japanese delegation during the opening ceremonies, Japan sends a team of only thirteen to compete in athletics at the second Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.

4th in the girls' 3000 m at last month's World Junior Championships in Eugene, U.S.A., Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) is the lone distance runner on the team, a sure medal contender after her 9:02.85 in Eugene.  Other prominent members include Hina Takahashi (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) in the girls' 800 m, Kenta Oshima (Tokyo H.S.) in the boys' 100 m, Sayori Matsumoto (Nara Ikuei H.S.) in the girls' 5000 m race walk and Yuji Hiramatsu (Shijoyo H.S.) in the boys' high jump, all national title winners at the National…

Bangkok, Thailand, 5/21-22/14
click here for Day One results
click here for Day Two results

Girls' 3000 m
1. Fatuma Jewaro Chebsi (Bahrain) - 9:42.12
2. Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Japan) - 10:15.52
3. Nazarova Mekhrangez (Tajikistan) - 10:31.65
4. Nelia Martins (Timor-Leste) - 11:16.16
5. Aviuntungolog Enkhbayov (Mongolia) - 11:30.20

Girls' 1500 m
1. Dalila Abdulkadirgosa (Bahrain) - 4:21.61
2. Nana Kuraoka (Japan) - 4:22.01
3. Zipei Jiang (China) - 4:34.91
4. Aprilia Kartina (Indonedia) - 4:45.38
5. Nastaran Akbari (Iran) - 5:16.88

Girls' 800 m
1. Hina Takahashi (Japan) - 2:09.28
2. Desi Mokonin (Bahrain) - 2:11.39
3. Fernando K.N. Dilhani (Sri Lanka) - 2:11.55
4. Zipei Jiang (China) - 2:13.50
5. Thi Tham Tran (Vietnam) - 2:13.81

Girls' 200 m
1. Xiaojing Liang (China) - 24.08
2. Manqi Ge (China) - 24.30
3. Zion Corrales-Nelson (Philippines) - 24.30
4. Tomomi Kawamura (Japan) - 25.12
5. Shiori Kakegawa (Japan) - 25.26

Girls' 100 mH
1. Nana Fujimori (Japan) - 13.59
2. Jing …