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Sato Over Osako, Yamagata Over Kiryu, Murakami Over Dean, Shimura Over Kimura: Japanese Nationals Day Two

by Brett Larner

Day Two of the 2013 Japanese National Track and Field Championships was packed with great one-on-one matchups as the country's best went after positions on the Moscow World Championships team.

In the men's 10000 m, the pace faded after starting out on track for a national record thanks to eventual last-place finisher Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku).  #4-ranked Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) took over from Okamoto after falling at 3000 m, but the pace continued to slip.  The only two A-standard men, defending champion Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) reeled it out to a sprint finish for the second year in a row, and once again Sato proved the stronger over the final 50 m as he secured his place with a slower-than-expected 28:24.94 win to Osako's 28:25.84 runner-up finish. 2011's fastest Japanese 10000 m runner, Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) took 3rd, but absent an A-standard mark he will stay home come August.

The men's javelin saw a great back-and-forth contest between 2009 Berlin World Championships bronze medalist Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and defending national champion Roderick Genki Dean (Waseda Univ.), alternating the lead position with each successive throw.  Murakami came out on top with a B-standard throw of 81.04 to Dean's sub-par 78.73, but with both have surpassed the Federation's special qualifying mark of 84.27 earlier this season they are each guaranteed a spot on the Moscow team.

The men's 100 m was the main draw of the evening for the 17000 spectators attending the Championships thanks to high school sensation Yoshihide Kiryu (Rakunan H.S.) up against London Olympian Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.).  As in the heats, Kiryu's start was rocky and left with a gap he could not make up.  Yamagata took the win in 10.11 (+0.7), Kiryu next but far back in 10.25.  As in the javelin, both join the Moscow team, Yamagata's A-standard win and Kiryu's having met the Federation special qualifying standard of 10.01 earlier in the season getting them into the fold.


An unexpected highlight of the day came in the women's 100 m hurdles.  Lone B-standard woman and favorite Ayako Kimura (Team Edion) ran a PB and meet record 13.03, but out of nowhere independent Hitomi Shimura (Saga T&F Assoc.) ran a PB 13.02 to beat her for the record, and having won in a B-standard time she now stands first in line for national team selection.

B-standard athletes won two other events to give themselves a shot at national team selection.  Perpetual men's 400 m champion Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) added another title to his collection with a 45.56 win, while women's 100 m national record holder Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) won easily in 11.41.

The other unexpected highlight of the day came in the women's 400 m, where unknown high schooler Haruka Sugiura (Hamamatsu Municipal H.S.) ran a nearly two-second PB of 52.52, a new junior national record, for the win.  Sugiura fell just short of the 52.35 B-standard, but with plenty of time ahead of her she is now another young Japanese athlete to watch over coming years.

The Japanese National Track and Field Championships wrap up with tomorrow's third day of competition.  JRN will once again be on-site to cover the meet live.

97th Japanese National Track and Field Championships Day Two
Ajinomoto Stadium, Chofu, Tokyo, 6/8/13
click here for complete results

Men's 10000 m
1. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 28:24.94
2. Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 28:25.84
3. Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 28:27.00
4. Masato Imai (Team Toyota Kyushu) - 28:27.69
5. Shogo Nakamura (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:27.73
6. Akihiko Tsumurai (Team Mazda) - 28:29.36
7. Shinobu Kubota (Komazawa Univ.) - 28:31.50
8. Yuichiro Ueno (DeNA RC) - 28:34.67
9. Takuya Fukatsu (Team Asahi Kasei) - 28:36.89
10. Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 28:42.85

Women's 400 m Final
1. Haruka Sugiura (Hamamatsu Municipal H.S.) - 52.52 - NJR
2. Sayaka Oki (Niijima Gakuen H.S.) - 53.17 - PB
3. Sayaka Aoki (Team Toho Ginko) - 53.56

Men's 400 m Final
1. Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 45.56
2. Kengo Yamazaki (Nihon Univ.) - 46.00
3. Hiroyuki Nakano (Aichi T&F Assoc.) - 46.23

Women's 100 m Final +0.0
1. Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) - 11.41
2. Mayumi Watanabe (Team Toho Ginko) - 11.62
3. Anna Doi (Saitama Sakae H.S.) - 11.74

Men's 100 m Final +0.7
1. Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.) - 10.11
2. Yoshihide Kiryu (Rakunan H.S.) - 10.25
3. Kei Takase (Team Fujitsu) - 10.28

Women's 100 mH Final
1. Hitomi Shimura (Saga T&F Assoc.) - 13.02 - MR, PB
2. Ayako Kimura (Team Edion) - 13.03 - PB
3. Airi Ito (Team Sumitomo Denko) - 13.27

Men's Javelin Throw
1. Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 81.04 m
2. Roderick Genki Dean (Waseda Univ.) - 78.73 m
3. Yuya Koriki (Tottori AS) - 77.84 m

text and photos (c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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