Skip to main content

Team Chugoku Denryoku to Battle Team Nissin Shokuhin in New Year Ekiden

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2007122600495

translated by Brett Larner

37 teams will compete Jan. 1st in the 52nd annual All-Japan Jitsugyodan Ekiden, popularly known as the New Year Ekiden. The ekiden covers a 7-stage, 100 km course through Gunma Prefecture, starting and ending in Maebashi. Team Chugoku Denryoku will be trying for its 2nd straight victory and will face tough competition from Team Nissin Shokuhin, who will be looking for its 1st victory, and past champs Team Konica Minolta, who will be trying to return to the winner`s circle.

Team Chugoku Denryoku`s lineup includes Tsuyoshi Ogata, the 5th place finisher in this past summer`s World Championships marathon; Atsushi Sato, the Japanese half-marathon national record holder and 3rd-place finisher at the Fukuoka International Marathon on Dec. 2; and Shigeru Aburaya, who was 5th in the Athens Olympics marathon. Team Chugoku Denryoku does not have any foreign runners so it will likely have a comparatively slow 1st half and gain ground in the 2nd half of the race.

Team Nissin Shokuhin won November`s East Japan Ekiden for the 2nd year in a row. Its main weapon is Kenyan ace Ngatuny Gideon. Nissin`s roster also includes World Championships marathon 7th place finisher Toshinari Suwa, Kazuyoshi Tokumoto and other reliable workhorses.

Last year, Team Konica Minolta failed to win a 3rd straight victory. This year, both its aces Takayuki and Yuko Matsumiya are in peak shape and will form the leading edge of its attack. The average 10000 m time of its top 7 runners is 28:22.37, leaving little doubt that Konica Minolta will be one of the top contenders.

Barcelona Olympics marathon silver medalist Koichi Morishita`s Team Toyota Jidosha Kyushu features Fukuoka International Marathon winner and half-marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru. This year Toyota Kyushu also features Juntendo University graduate and new member Masato Imai, who gained nationwide fame during the last 3 years for his incredible uphill running on the 5th stage of the Hakone Ekiden.

Team Kanebo includes Japanese marathon national record holder Toshinari Takaoka and will be another contender for one of the top spots in the field.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more