Yamanashi Gakuin Prep Wins Four-Way Last Sprint for First-Ever National High School Boys Ekiden Title

by Brett Larner
click photo for video highlights courtesy of NHK

Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S. (Yamanashi) won a four-way sprint finish to claim its first-ever national title Dec. 22 in Kyoto at the 64th running of the National High School Boys Ekiden Championships. Always in contention without ever taking the lead, Yamanashi Gakuin Prep, powered by sub-14 seniors Ryutaro Ichitani and Kenta Ueda, took the title in an all-around strong team performance without a single individual stage win.

Ueda, son of Yamanashi Gakuin university head coach Masahito Ueda, got things going strong with a 29:46 for the 10.0 km First Stage off a slow 15:10 first half but, outkicked by Suguru Hirosue (Kobayashi H.S.), took 2nd. Kobayashi's Takashi Kawano added to his team's slight lead on the short 3.0 km Second Stage, but the dynamic changed on the longer 8.1075 km Third Stage when Kenyan Paul Kamathi (Sera H.S.) took over the lead.

From there the other contenders were playing catchup. Yamanashi Gakuin Prep cut down on the gap to Sera over the 8.0875 km Fourth Stage as Omuta H.S. and Iga Hakuho H.S. worked together further back. 3.0 km later after the Fifth Stage all three were together in pursuit of Sera but still 30 seconds back. Yamanashi Gakuin Prep and Iga Hakuho closed that up over the 5.0 km Sixth Stage, handing off to their anchors within 3 seconds of Sera, but Omuta was still 15 seconds back.

With 5.0 km to go Omuta anchor Shota Inuzuka went all-out over the first half of the stage to catch up, making contact with the lead trio partway through the stage to make it a quartet. All four hit the track for the final 500 m together, and when the sprint finish started on the back straight it was Yamanashi Gakuin Prep's Ryo Nishiyama who got ahead, opening just one second over Inuzuka for the win in 2:03:53. Iga Hakuho's Ryoto Nakahata was one more second back in 2:03:55. For all three of the top three schools it was their fastest finish ever at the National Championships. After starting the anchor stage in the lead, Sera's Taiji Nakashima was unable to match kicks and finished 4 seconds behind Nakahata in 4th, just cracking 2:04 in 2:03:59. Course record holder Saku Chosei H.S. took 5th in 2:04:25, its best showing under current head coach Masaru Takamizawa.

With five of its seven runners graduating this year including both Ichitani and Ueda Yamanashi Gakuin Prep's title was likely a one-off win, but the title resonated with implications for the Hakone Ekiden university circuit over the next few years: all five graduating members will go to Yamanashi Gakuin University. YGU aces Enock Omwamba and Hiroto Inoue are second and third-years respectively, and several of the school's other best runners are also in their first two years there. Next year YGU should be rough, and two years from now when Omwamba is a senior they could be in contention for Japan's most prestigious win, the Hakone title.

64th National High School Boys Ekiden Championships
Kyoto, 12/22/13
47 teams, 7 stages, 42.195 km
click here for complete results

Top Team Results
1. Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S. (Yamanashi) - 2:03:53
2. Omuta H.S. (Fukuoka) - 2:03:54
3. Iga Hakuho H.S. (Mie) - 2:03:55
4. Sera H.S. (Hiroshima) - 2:03:59
5. Saku Chosei H.S. (Nagano) - 2:04:25
6. Kobayashi H.S. (Miyazaki) - 2:04:28
7. Yachiyo Shoin H.S. (Chiba) - 2:05:06
8. Ishikawa Gijuku H.S. (Fukushima) - 2:05:15
9. Tosu Kogyo H.S. (Saga) - 2:05:24
10. Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. (Hyogo) - 2:05:55

Stage Best Performances
First Stage (10.0 km) - Suguru Hirosue (Kobayashi H.S.) - 29:45
Second Stage (3.0 km) - Takashi Kawano (Kobayashi H.S.) - 8:08
Third Stage (8.1075 km) - Paul Kamathi (Kenya/Sera H.S.) - 23:20
Fourth Stage (8.0875 km) - Takumi Kawato (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 23:07
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Masanori Takazono (Omuta H.S.) / Tatsuya Sumide (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 8:47
Sixth Stage (5.0 km) - Fuminori Shimo (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 14:27
Seventh Stage (5.0 km) - Masaki Sakai (Saku Chosei H.S.) - 14:31

(c) 2013 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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...

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...

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...

japan running news

Search This Blog