Skip to main content

Juntendo and Shigakkan Score Surprise 4x100 m Wins - Japanese National University Champs Day Two

by Brett Larner

Sprints were the main attraction on the second day of the 2010 Japanese National University Track and Field Championships on Sept. 11 at Tokyo's National Stadium. 2009 women's 100 m open national champion Momoko Takahashi (Heisei Kokusai Univ.) took 0.07 seconds off her own meet record, winning in 11.55 and announcing that she will join Team Fujitsu following her graduation next March. Two-time men's 100 m open national champion Masashi Eriguchi (Waseda University) had no trouble picking up the university title, coasting to the win in 10.62. It was his fourth straight year winning the 100 m at national university championship, making Eriguchi only the second Japanese man and the first in 77 years to accompish the feat.



Both champions returned a few hours later for the 4x100 m relays. Takahashi ran a solid anchor leg but was outdone by the virtually unknown Shigakkan University's Saori Imai, who brought Shigakkan home for an unexpected win in 45.45. Shigakkan finished 0.12 ahead of the Heisei Kokusai squad despite Imai losing to Takahashi by 0.22 earlier in the day in the 100 m.



Eriguchi's Waseda University was the three-time defending champion in the men's 4x100 m but was heavily expected to lose to the Chuo University team, which features 200 m World Junior Champion Shota Iizuka on anchor and set the national collegiate record of 38.54 while beating Waseda at May's Kanto Regionals. Chuo did beat Waseda, but thanks to several flubbed exchanges including Iizuka's anchor run both schools were trounced by the venerable Juntendo University. Juntendo took the national university title in 39.32 versus 39.62 for Chuo and 39.63 for Waseda.

For complete results from these and other events, click here.

(c) 2010 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

Comments

Most-Read This Week

Asian Games Preview - Entries, Timetable and Live Results

Back in Japan for the first time in 32 years and representing 60% of the world's population, with more athletes competing across all sports than at the Olympics, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games are already underway. Athletics competition starts tomorrow and runs through Tuesday the 29th. Some of the biggest names on the entry list include: Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (SRI) - men's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships gold and 2026 Diamond League champion Haruka Kitaguchi (JPN) - women's javelin throw - 2026 World Ultimate Championships and 2024 Paris Olympics gold Birhanu Balew (BRN) - men's 5000 m/10000 m - 2026 Diamond League 5000 m champion Sanghyeok Woo (KOR) - men's high jump - 2025 Tokyo World Championships silver Hayato Katsuki (JPN) - men's marathon race walk - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Abderrahman Samba (QAT) - men's 400 mH - 2025 Tokyo World Championships bronze Jiale Zhang (CHN) - women's hammer throw - 2025 Tokyo W...

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...

2 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner