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Kawasaki Sets National Record at Corporate Track and Field Championships

by Brett Larner

Having moved up to the A-list Team Fujitsu this year, women's race walker Mayumi Kawasaki captured the biggest headlines at the 2009 National Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships with a national record in the 10000 m walk. Breaking her own national record from 2008 by over 30 seconds, Kawasaki set a mark of 43:21.90 to take the title in the event's first appearance at the Championships.

Another four meet records were set in other events. Kawasaki's male teammates at Fujitsu ran a meet record 39.55 to win the men's 4x100 m relay. Team members Naoki Tsukahara, Shinji Takahira and Yoshihiro Horigome also won the individual titles in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m, while Takahira and Horigome were also on Fujitsu's winning team in the 4x400 m relay along with the 4x100 m team's fourth man, Yohei Miyazawa.

Women's 400 m national record holder Asami Tanno (Team Natureal) took nearly a second off the nine year old meet record to win in 52.61, then returned 75 minutes later to anchor Natureal's 4x100 m relay team to another new meet record of 44.97.

On the field, women's triple jumper Fumiyo Yoshida (Team Narita Airport) tied the nine year old meet record of 13.36 m on her final jump.

Click here to see complete results from the 2009 National Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships.

(c) 2009 Brett Larner
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