japan running news

by Brett Larner

Japan's fall track season is well underway, a transition period designed to sharpen the summer base as the focus shifts to the ekiden season. The Monday, Oct. 11 national holiday saw two major track meets alongside the Izumo Ekiden.

The Niigata Big Athletics Festa focused on 10000 m for the distance runners. Former Sendai Ikuei H.S. standout Paul Kuira (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) led the way with a 27:50.64 to move into the 2010 worldwide top 30. In second came Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) in a PB of 28:07.99, just clearing the 2011 World Championships B-standard. The women's 10000 m added two more Japanese women to the 2010 worldwide top 30, with veteran Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) clearing the World Championships A-standard in 31:44.93 and Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) the B-standard in 31:53.22.

In other Niigata events, Miwa Yokoyama (Niigata Meikun H.S.) broke the prefectural high school girls' 5000 m record with a solo 15:58.81, winning by over a …

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20081013-00000016-nks_fl-spo
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/flash/KFullFlash20081013059.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

19 year old Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) staged a stunning comeback at the Oct. 13 Niigata Big Festa Track and Field Meet, running 31:23.21 in the 10000 m to break her own national record by over 12 seconds and beating former junior national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (26, Team Wacoal) in a one-on-one match race with male pacemakers. Fukushi finished just behind Kinukawa in 31:24.82. Kinukawa's mark easily breaks the A qualifying standard of 31:45.00 for next summer's Berlin World Championships.

Kinukawa was a national sensation in high school, her achievements as a student including competing in the 10000 m at the 2007 Osaka World Championships and setting her previous junior national record of 31:35.27, but late last year she contracted an unidentified virus which over the course of many months caused a series o…