Nishihara Takes First National Title - Japanese National Championships Day One Results

by Brett Larner
videos by aoshin0507

With heavy rain and wind hitting most of the country, collegiate road 10 km national record holder Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) moved up the ranks with her first national title, winning the women's 10000 m in 32:37.23 to cap the first day of competition at the 2014 Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Fukushima. In a close and tactical race that included most of the favorites from last year's record-setting edition, Nishihara and Yamada Denki teammate Shiho Takechi didn't move clear until the final lap, racing each other to the line with Nishihara claiming the national title by 0.46 seconds. Favorite Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo), showing vulnerability in recent races after a very strong winter season, was unable to match the YD pair's closing speed as she took 3rd in 32:41.56 with 4th through 11th places within ten seconds of her.

In the day's only other distance event, 2007 men's 3000 mSC national champion Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) started conservatively, moving up through a field that included two-time defending champion Minato Yamashita (Team NTN) and 2010-11 national champion Tsuyoshi Takeda (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) to get into the lead group of five in time for the break. On the back straight of the last lap he made his move, surging away to drop #1-ranked Aoi Matsumoto (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) and Shinoto's successor as Chuo Gakuin University's top steepler, Hironori Tsuetaki, and get a second national title in 8:35.43. Another noteworthy result came back in 7th, where Kazuya Shiojiri (Isahaya Tomei H.S.) ran 8:48.32, the all-time fourth-best by a Japanese high schooler, after spending the first half of the race up front.

Field events were hit harder by the conditions, with all podium finishers in the three jumps and two throws on the schedule performing well below their best. Women's javelin national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) had a scare when she threw only 54.77 m, more than 8 m off her record, and was nearly outdone by #2-ranked Risa Miyashita (Osaka Taiiku Univ.) who threw 54.70 m. The biggest upset came in the women's pole vault, where #6-ranked Megumi Hamana (Shikishima Club) cleared 4.09 m to beat national record holder Tomomi Abiko (Shiga Lake Stars) who struggled with the conditions and could only manage 4.00 m.

The 2014 Japanese National Track and Field Championships continue June 7 and 8. Click here for event previews for both days of competition.

98th National Track and Field Championships
Day One Results
Fukushima, 6/6/14
click here for complete results

Women's 10000 m

1. Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) - 32:37.23

2. Shiho Takechi (Team Yamada Denki) - 32:37.69

3. Ayumi Hagiwara (Team Uniqlo) - 32:41.56

4. Hanae Tanaka (Team Daiichi Seimei) - 32:42.78

5. Sayuri Oka (Team Daihatsu) - 32:42.93

6. Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 32:43.90

7. Yuka Takashima (Team Denso) - 32:45.24

8. Sairi Maeda (Team Daihatsu) - 32:45.93

9. Eri Makikawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 32:48.21

10. Miho Ihara (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 32:49.54

Men's 3000 mSC

1. Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 8:35.43

2. Aoi Matsumoto (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:37.06

3. Hironori Tsuetaki (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 8:39.54

4. Minato Yamashita (Team NTN) - 8:42.21

5. Hiroyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 8:45.77

Women's Triple Jump
1. Fumiyo Yoshida (Koriyama Joshi Univ.) - 13.03 m
2. Waka Maeda (Peek) - 12.96 m
3. Mei Yamane (Sonoda Gakuen Joshi Univ.) - 12.88 m

Women's Pole Vault

1. Megumi Hamana (Shikishima Club) - 4.09 m

2. Tomomi Abiko (Shiga Lake Stars) - 4.00 m

2. Megumi Nakada (Ibaraki Meiyu Club) - 4.00 m

Women's High Jump

1. Yuki Watanabe (Mirai to Techno) - 1.75 m

2. Nanami Inoue (Okuwa) - 1.70 m

3. Azumi Maeda (Kobe Kotairen) - 1.70 m

Women's Discus Throw
1. Marika Tokai (I Most) - 51.28 m
2. Ai Shikimoto (Kokushikan Univ.) - 50.48 m
3. Nozomi Kusaka (Ibaraki Meiyu Club) - 50.46 m

Women's Javelin Throw
1. Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 54.77 m
2. Risa Miyashita (Osaka Taiiku Univ.) - 54.70 m
3. Ai Yamauchi (Osaka Seikei Univ.) - 54.23 m

(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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