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Showing posts with the label Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu

Meijo University Wins Second-Straight National University Women's Ekiden

After an unexpected breakthrough last year to win its first national title in 12 years, Meijo University took full advantage of its new recruits to win the Morinomiyako Ekiden, the Japanese University Women's Ekiden Championships, for the second year in a row Sunday in Sendai.

First-year Yuna Wada, who set up Nozomi Tanaka for the gold medal in this year's U20 World Championships 3000 m, took it out hard for Meijo, winning the 6.4 km First Stage by two seconds over Naruha Sato of last year's 3rd-placer Ritsumeikan University. After a rocky start 2017 runner-up Daito Bunka University's Yuka Suzuki made up a 42-second deficit on the 5.6 km Second Stage, turning it into a 15-second lead over Ritsumeikan with Meijo dropping to 3rd.

Star Meijo first-year Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu got it back under control, just missing the CR on the 6.8 km Third Stage as she put Meijo back into the lad for good. DBU, Ritsumeikan and darkhorse TokyoNogyo University battled to close the gap, …

World U20 Champion Tanaka Wins National Sports Festival 5000 m

3000 m world U20 champion Nozomi Tanaka (ND28 AC) added another championships win to her resume, outrunning the field in the senior women's 5000 m to take the Fukui National Sports Festival 5000 m title on the opening day of athletics competition.

Off a slow first 1000 m Tanaka and rival Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Meijo Univ.) , both first-years in university, emerged after 4000 m to contend for the win in a sprint battle over the last lap. As at July's World U20 Championships Tanaka had the superior closing speed, winning in 15:34.22 to Takamatsu's 15:35.47.

Keiko Nogami '(Juhachi Ginko) made a quick turnaround from her silver medal in August's Jakarta Asian Games marathon to take 3rd in 15:37.28. Takamatsu's older sister Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) dropped out midway through the race.
National Sports Festival Athletics Day One Highlights9.98 Stadium, Fukui, 10/5/18
complete results

Senior Women's 5000 m Final
1. Nozomi Tanaka (ND28 AC) - …

Walsh Ties 400 m Meet Record - National University Track and Field Championships Day Three Highlights

After a disappointing 5th-place finish in this year's Jakarta Asian Games 400 m, Julian Walsh (Toyo Univ.) brought the highlight of the third day of the 87th National University Track and Field Championships as he tied the meet record 45.75 to win the 400 m national title. It was a very close race with newcomer  Rikuya Ito (Waseda Univ.) pushing Walsh to the record and finishing 2nd in 45.79. Just a 2nd-year, Ito looks set to take over as Japan's top collegiate 400 m runner following Walsh's graduating next spring. 3rd-year Mitsuki Kawauchi (Kinki Univ.) may give him a challenge for the title next year, close behind this time in 3rd in 45.96.



In the women's 5000 m 1st-year Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Meijo Univ.) outkicked her older competition in a slow race to complete a 1500 m / 5000 m national title double in 16:06.83. Her male counterpart Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin) also pulled off a double, dropping Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Nihon) as he did in the 10000 m to a…

Nittai Women Break 4x100 m Collegiate National Record - National University Track and Field Championships Day Two Highlights

Following up the Ritsumeikan University women's 4x100 m meet record in the qualifying heats on the first day of the 87th National University Track and Field Championships, Nittai University did Ritsumeikan one better in day two's final. Nittai came on strong on the third leg with a solid run from third year Mae Hirosawa, but it was first-year anchor Miku Yamada who really impressed, pulling away to open almost half a second on Ritsumeikan in the best first-year relay anchor performance since future Olympic silver medalist Shota Iizuka's 2010 Kanto Regionals run. Yamada crossed the line in 44.59 to take 0.23 off Ritsumeikan's day-old meet record and 0.21 off the 12-year-old national university record.



Just a week after missing out on a medal at the Jakarta Asian Games, Meg Hemphill (Chuo Univ.) rounded out her collegiate heptathlon career by tying the meet record of 5550 set last year by Jakarta bronze medalist Yuki Yamasaki. Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Meijo Univ.) cont…

World U20 Championships - Day One Japanese Results

On the first day of competition at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, Japanese runners were the first non-East African runners across the line in both of the day's distance finals. In the boys' 10000 m Takuro Miura was 9th in 30:12.25 almost three laps behind championships record-setting Rhonex Kipruto (Kenya). In the women's 5000 m, Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu was 7th in 15:55.74, just over 21 seconds out of the medals. The talented Miku Moribayashi was last in 17:08.55.

In qualifying rounds, nine of the eleven Japanese athletes in action advanced. Ayaka Kawata and Ayano Shiomi led the way in the women's 800 m, both winning their heats and clocking the two fastest times among all qualifiers. Yuki Hashioka also recorded the best mark in the men's long jump qualifying rounds, jumping 7.92 m (+1.1 m/s) to head into the final ranked #1. Yugo Sakai jumped a PB of 7.69 m (+2.0 m/s) to join Hashioka in the final with the #3 ranking.
World U20 Championships Da…

Ishizawa, Seko and Yamagata the Stars of Japanese National Championships Day Two

The 100 m final got most of the attention on the second day of the 102nd Japanese National Track and Field Championships, but arguably the best race of the day came in the women's 3000 m steeplechase. 4 of the top 5 women ran PBs and broke 10 minutes, winner Yukari Ishizawa (Edion) coming in at all-time Japanese #5 in 9:53.22, runner-up Nana Sato (Starts) all-time JPN #9 in 9:56.95, and 5th-placer Manami Nishyama (Matsuyama Univ.) running a PB 10:04.70 to land all-time Japanese collegiate #9.

The women's 100 m final provided one of the bigger surprises of the day, with the relatively unheralded Nodoka Seko (Crane) outrunning defending national champ Kana Ichikawa (Mizuno) and national record holder Chisato Fukushima (Seiko) to win in 11.64 (+0.8 m/s). A tense men's 100 m final saw 2013 national champ Ryota Yamagata (Seiko) better national record holder Yoshihide Kiryu (Nihon Seimei) and 2017 London World Championships 4x100m relay team members Aska Cambridge (Nike) and Sh…

Asian Junior Championships Day Two Highlights

A new meet record in the boys’ 400 m courtesy of Sri Lanka’s Aruna Dharshana topped the results on Day Two of the Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Gifu. Dharshana’s mark of 45.79 led a Sri Lankan 1-2, with Japan’s Shuji Mori picking up the bronze in 47.09.

Japan earned a 1-2 of its own in the girls’ 1500 m, where Ririka Hironaka ran a PB 4:17.62 to win gold by 4 seconds over teammate Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu. Durga Pramod Deore of India was a distant 3rd for bronze.

Japan’s only other gold of the day came in the boys’ long jump, where Yugo Sakai jumped 7.61 m (-0.1 m/s) to beat China’s Keqi Zhou by just 7 cm. A missed opportunity came in the boys’ 10000 m, where Waseda University’s Yuhi Nakaya ran only 30:04.24 for silver, beaten by winner Cairen Suolang of China in a 30:01.51 PB run.

Japan also took silver in the boys’ 1500 m, Saife Saifeldin of Qatar getting the win in 3:49.30 to Reito Hanzawa’s 3:49.66 and Iraqi bronze medalist Hussein Haitham Lafta’s 3:49.75.

The Asian Jun…

Wanjiru and Ndiku Lead Oda Memorial Distance Results

Japan's outdoor season rolled on April 28 with the 52nd Oda Memorial Meet, one of the events used in selection for Japan's national team for this summer's Jakarta Asian Games. Rosemary Monica Wanjiru (Starts) topped the day's results with a 15:08.61 meet record in the Women's Grand Prix 5000 m, easily leaving senior teammate Grace Kimanzi and veteran Ann Karindi (Toyota Jidoshokki) behind to take the top spot.

#織田記念
グランプリ 女子5000m

山ノ内みなみさん(京セラ)15:21.31 pic.twitter.com/TW3Muk8tbB — Tさんrunner (@Runner_2653) April 29, 2018
Dropping a massive PB for 4th, Minami Yamanouchi (Kyocera) was the first Japanese women in 15:21.31. Longtime readers might remember Yamanouchi as a 17-year-old high schooler from Fukushima casually breaking high school boys' records and running sub-3 marathons for fun. Now 24, she has landed at the Kyocera corporate team under the tutelage of former men's half marathon national record holder and fellow Fukushima native Atsushi Sato. Clearly …

Fast Times from Mbuthye and Yego in Saturday Track Action

Saturday was the first full day of the Japanese outdoor track season with two large time trial meets and university intramurals across the country. The top marks of the day came over 3000 m at Tokyo's Setagaya Time Trials meet. In the women's A-heat Japan-based Kenyan Grace Mbuthye (Starts) won in 8:58.55, while another Japan-based Kenyan Evans Yego (Sunbelx) took the men's A-heat in 7:58.50. Both times were the 2nd-fastest outdoor marks in the world so far this season. Other notable marks:

Kei Fumimoto (Kanebo) turned in the fastest Japanese time of the day at 8:06.95 for 4th in the A-heat.Junior high school 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m national record holder Kosuke Ishida made his high school debut in the C-heat running for Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S., finishing 3rd in 8:22.85, about 5 seconds off his best.After taking 7th at last month's NYC Half, 2017 World University Games half marathon gold medalist Kei Katanishi (Komazawa Univ.) got back into action, warming up with an …

Japan Dominates Asian Cross Country Championships

Japan dominated the 14th Asian Cross Country Championships Thursday in Guiyang, China, winning all four team gold medals to hold the hosts China back to silver in every race.

Japan's only individual gold came in the Junior Women's race, one of its usual areas of strength. Yuna Wada led a Japanese sweep of the top four positions to win the 6 km race in 20:43 with scoring teammates Ririka Hironaka and Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu just behind.

Wada Yuna of Japan wins Junior Women’s 6km cross country race of 14th Asian Cross Country Championship . Japan also won Team championship pic.twitter.com/Q6l0b48pKV — Asian Athletics (@asianathletics) March 15, 2018
With the meet also serving as China's National Championships Chinese athletes won the individual gold in the other three races, Dan Li, Cairen Suolong and Jianhua Peng all showing better closing speed to beat their Japanese rivals by 3~4 seconds. Li won the Senior Women's 8 km by 3 seconds over Japan's Yukari Abe, leadi…

Nozomi Tanaka 8:58.81 at Shizuoka Time Trials

Fresh off a third-place finish in the women's 2000 m at France's Decanation last week just days after her 18th birthday, Nozomi Tanaka (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) took her month-old 3000 m PB and position in Japan's all-time rankings even further. Having hovered close to 9-flat for the last year Tanaka, the daughter of 2:29:30 amateur marathoner Chihiro Tanaka,  finally broke through with an 8:59.83 to take the top Japanese spot in the 3000 m at August's National High School Track and Field Championships.

Oo Monday she took over a second off that time to win the Shizuoka Long Distance Time Trials women's 3000 m A-heat in 8:58.81 over rivals including 5000 m all-time high school #2 Shuri Ogasawara (Yaanashi Gakuin Prep H.S) and 3000 m all-time junior #4 Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.). Tanaka's new PB moved her up to all-time #4 among Japanese juniors and #3 among high school students for 3000 m, still 6 1/2 seconds off the records held by K…

World Cross Country Championships - Japanese Results

Kampala, Uganda, 3/26/17
click here for complete results

U20 Women
1. Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) - 18:34
2. Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia) - 18:57
3. Celliphine Chepteek Chespol (Kenya) - 19:02
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15. Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Japan) - 20:24
17. Yuka Sarumida (Japan) - 20:28
19. Hayaka Suzuki (Japan) - 20:40
22. Rika Kaseda (Japan) - 20:51
31. Wakana Kabasawa (Japan) - 21:20
49. Hikari Onishi (Japan) - 22:05

U20 Men
1. Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) - 22:40
2. Amdework Walelegn (Ethiopia) - 22:43
3. Richard Yator Kimunyan (Kenya) - 22:52
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27. Kazuya Nishiyama (Japan) - 25:15
37. Yoji Sakai (Japan) - 25:41
42. Ryunosuke Chigira (Japan) - 25:51
51. Sodai Shimizu (Japan) - 26:11
78. Keita Yoshida (Japan) - 27:23

Senior Women
1. Irene Chepet Cheptai (Kenya) - 31:57
2. Alice Aprot Nawowuna (Kenya) - 32:01
3. Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (Kenya) - 32:11
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24. Yuka Hori (Japan) - 34:54
40. Mao Ichiyama (Japan) - 35:52
59. Fumika Sasaki (Japan) - 37:02
78. Kaori Morita (Japan) - 38:24

Senior Men
1. Geoffrey…

Japanese Team Rosters for Kampala World Cross Country Championships

by Brett Larner

#世界クロカン】日本代表選手団、第42回世界クロスカントリー選手権大会の開催地、ウガンダ カンパラに到着です。現地メディアのお出迎えもありました! #陸上pic.twitter.com/3YpD2j5Hfc — JAAF(日本陸上競技連盟) (@jaaf_official) March 22, 2017
The World Cross Country Championships take place this Sunday, March 26 in Kampala, Uganda.  Perpetual team medal contenders, the Japanese junior women's squad is the strongest part of the Japanese roster, featuring four women with 3000 m bests under 9:10 led by 8:58.86 runner Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu of 2016 National High School Ekiden champion Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.  The Japanese national team for the 2017 World Cross Country Championships:

Senior Men's 10 km
Kosei Yamaguchi (Team Aisan Kogyo) - 28:34.19
Shota Maeda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 28:59.86
Yuma Higashi (Team Kyudenko) - 29:14.78
Haruki Ono (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:18.49
Yamato Otsuka (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:22.18

Senior Women's 10 km
Mao Ichiyama (Team Wacoal) - 32:15.73
Kaori Morita (Team Panasonic) - 32:27
Yuki Hori (Team Panasonic) - 32:40
Fumik…

Onizuka and Ichiyama Score National Cross Country Titles

by Brett Larner

Japan's main selection race for the 2017 Kampala World Cross Country Championships happened Saturday at Fukuoka's National Cross Country Championships.  On fire this season with top three finishes in every race since November and wins at both January's National Men's Ekiden and the Karatsu 10-Miler two weeks ago, Tokai University first-year Shota Onizuka won a photo finish over pro Yuma Higashi (Team Kyudenko) to score the national title in the senior men's 12 km.  Burning just as hot with top three finishes all the way since October including two wins, Mao Ichiyama (Team Wacoal) won the senior women's 8 km national title by three seconds over Yuka Hori (Team Panasonic).

The junior men's 8 km was nearly as close as the senior race.  Yuhi Nakaya of 2017 National High School Ekiden runner-up Saku Chosei H.S. won a three-way sprint finish over Ryo Saito (Akita Kogyo H.S.) and Kazuya Nishiyama (Tokyo Nogyo Prep Daini H.S.), running 24:02 to his …

Keiai Girls Break 4x400 m High School National Record - National High School Championships Day Five Results

by Brett Larner
videos by aoshin0507 and Ekiden News



The 2016 Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships wrapped up with a bang, the last three races delivering some of the best action seen in the meet's five days.  The girls' 3000 m final was out fast from the gun, a 68 second first lap immediately separating most of the field from a six-strong front pack that included Kenyans Helen Ekarare (Sendai Ikuei H.S.), Tabita Njeri Kamau (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.), Monica Margaret (Aomori Yamada H.S.) and Marta Mokaya (Oita Tomei H.S.) and Japanese runners Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) and Nozomi Tanaka (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.).  The front group stayed together through 2000 m, splitting 2:56 and 5:59 before Takamatsu, Tanaka and Mokaya slipped off the back.

Ekarare, just 12th in the final last year, drove on to drop Kamau and Margaret for the win in 8:55.06, the 4th-fastest time ever by a foreign runner at a Japanese high school.  Kamau was next in 8:5…

Kizaki Powers Kyoto to National Women's Ekiden Win

by Brett Larner
click photo for video highlights via broadcaster NHK

Driven in part by a stage record by Moscow World Championships marathon 4th-placer Ryoko Kizaki, the hometown Kyoto team scored the win in a fast and competitive 32nd National Women's Ekiden under nearly perfect conditions Jan. 12 in Kyoto.  The season-ending women's national championship ekiden, the National Women's Ekiden features teams from each of Japan's 47 prefectures made up of junior high, high school, university and pro runners competing over 9 stages and 42.195 km broadcast live nationwide and commercial-free.

Osaka led with with a strong opening leg from Natsuki Omori, but on the 4.0 km Second Stage last year's Third Stage course record-setter Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu, daughter of 2001 Nagano Marathon winner Maxwell Musembi (Kenya), fumbled and dropped Osaka to 11th.  Taking over the lead spot was Azusa Sumi (Aichi), who opened a lead of 12 seconds over Akari Ota (Okayama) by stage's …