japan running news

Having officially taken over as head coach of the Waseda University track and ekiden program as of June 1, on June 2 Katsuhiko Hanada held a press conference at the school's campus in central Tokyo's Shinjuku ward. "I want to develop athletes who will represent Japan," he said. In his own days as an athlete at Waseda, Hanada played a role in the school's win at the 1993 Hakone Ekiden. After graduating he joined the SB Foods corporate team, going on to run for Japan at both the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympics. His coaching experience includes leading Jobu University to its first Hakone in 2009, and helping to found the GMO corporate team. Central to Hanada's selection as new head coach was his former coach at both Waseda and SB, Toshihiko Seko , 65. After Hanada announced his resignation from GMO earlier this year, Seko called him about his alma mater, which had finished only 13th at this year's Hakone. Hanada went to observe the team...

After falling out of the top 10 for the first time in 3 years to 13th at this year's Hakone Ekiden, Waseda University is set to name Olympian, former GMO corporate head coach and Waseda alum Katsuhiko Hanada , 50, as its new head coach. Former head coach Yutaka Sagara , 41, is expected to remain on as head coach. Under the new arrangement Waseda hopes to regain its former stature. Having left GMO at the end of March, Hanada is already overseeing Waseda team training at the university's Tokorozawa campus in Saitama. Asked about his role, Sagara commented, "Nothing has been finalized yet." But according to an involved source, the decision about Hanada is final and only a few last details are still under discussion. Hanada ran well at the Hakone Ekiden during his collegiate years and was part of Waseda's winning team his third year at the school. After joining the S&B corporate team, he competed on the track at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 2000 Sydney Olympi...

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/etc/20150309-OHT1T50100.html http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/feature/hakone/20150309-OHT1T50174.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On March 9 Waseda University held a press conference at its Shinjuku campus in Tokyo to announce the transfer of leadership at the end of the month from ekiden team head coach Yasuyuki Watanabe , 41, to incoming head coach Yutaka Sagara , 34.  Watanabe, who spent 12 years leading Waseda including one year as assistant coach, had a light and relaxed expression as he said, "I did all I had to do, and that's why I am stepping down now." Watanabe developed two Waseda runners, 2008 Olympian Kensuke Takezawa (now 28, Team Sumitomo Denko) and 2013 World Championships team member Suguru Osako (now 23, resigning from Team Nissin Shokuhin at the end of this month) into world-class athletes, and under his leadership in the 2010-11 season Waseda achieved an unprecedented triple crown of course record wins at a...

http://www.minpo.jp/news/detail/2015020320750 translated by Brett Larner Waseda University ekiden team assistant coach Yutaka Sagara , 34, a native of Koriyama, Fukushima and a Waseda alumnus, is set to take take over as the team's head coach.  The formal announcement of his inauguration is expected to take place within the current fiscal year. Yasuyuki Watanabe , 41, has served as head coach of the Waseda ekiden team since 2004, but in December last year he announced that he would retire as coach at the end of the fiscal year in March.  According to a source connected to the team, Sagara was tapped based on favorable evaluations of his co-leadership of the team in tandem with Watanabe. Sagara was born in Koriyama.  After graduating from Asaka H.S. he entered Waseda University's school of human sciences, scoring some success as an athlete in the 3000 mSC.  His first year he ran the Hakone Ekiden's uphill Fifth Stage, and as a third year he ran the downhill S...