Nakamura Sets Steeplechase Collegiate NR, Kiryu Takes First National Title - National Track and Field Championships Day Three Results
by Brett Larner
videos by aoshin0507
Following up on Koji Murofushi's epoch-marking 20th-straight men's hammer national title yesterday, Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) led a phalanx of other long-lasting champions in adding to their legacies on the final rainy day of competition at the 2014 Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Fukushima.
Kanemaru had a 10th-straight men's 400 m national title on the line, and with no genuine competition he cruised in for the win in 45.69, only the second Japanese track athlete in history to get the ten-peat. Women's 400 mH national record holder Satomi Kubokura (Niigata Albirex RC) ran 56.39 for an eighth-straight national title, while 100 m national record holder Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) picked up the sixth national title of career in 11.69 (-0.3), a fifth-straight win and fourth-straight 100 m/200 m double title. Following Fukushima and 10000 m champion Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) yesterday, men's 400 mH champion Takayuki Kishimoto (Team Fujitsu) won a fourth-straight title in 49.49. While not quite on the same level, 41-year-old women's 3000 m steeplechase national record holder Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) added to her own legacy by finishing 7th, making for 20 straight years of finishing in the top eight. What these streaks of domination say about the overall development of their disciplines is another issue, but the streaks added to the atmosphere of this year's National Championships.
Along with Hayakari's accomplishment, the women's steeple proved to be the race of the day. Hayakari went out front from the gun but was soon reeled in by #1-ranked Misaki Sango (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and Misato Horie (Team Noritz). Horie soon faded but was replaced by relative unknown Mayuko Nakamura (Tsukuba Univ.), with Chikako Mori (Daito Bunka Univ.), who set the collegiate national record of 9:58.98 two weeks ago at the Kanto Regionals meet, trying to make up the ground. Sango pushed on at PB pace with Nakamura locked close behind her, but with 200 m to go when she made her move Nakamura could not respond. Sango's winning time of 9:49.85 was the second-fastest in Japanese history behind Hayakari's 9:33.93 NR, while Nakamura came in at all-time #3 in 9:53.87, breaking Mori's two-week-old record. Horie was just off her best in 3rd in 10:05.80, while Mori was caught at the line by another collegiate runner, Kanako Kitamoto (Meijo Univ.) and knocked down to 5th.
Like Nakamura providing some contrast to the dynasties, some new talent emerged in a few events to show that things are still moving forward. In the men's 110 mH, Genta Masuno (Kokusai Budo Univ.) was just off the meet record as he ran a PB 13.58 (+0.4) for the win over last year's national champion Wataru Yazawa (Descente TC) who tied his own best of 13.59. In the men's long jump, Kota Minemura PBd in 7.94 m (+0.6) to take his first national title, part of a strong Tsukuba University team that included Nakamura in the women's 3000 mSC and men's high jump champion Takashi Eto. Nihon University was also strong, taking both the women's and men's 800 m thanks to Fumika Omori and men's national record holder Sho Kawamoto. In the men's javelin, the ascendant Ryohei Arai (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) threw 81.97 m to take down the event's last two national champions Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and Genki Dean (Mizuno), with independent Yuya Koriki (Tottori T&F Assoc.) also bettering the two past champs in 76.18.
The women's and men's 5000 m both played out similarly, the Japanese field mostly ignoring the Kenyan pacers and leaving it for a last kick to determine the winner. In the women's race Kenyan pacers Rosemary Wanjiru (Team Starts) and Grace Kimanzi (Team Starts) had a lead of around 40 m after just one lap, but while Wanjiru pushed on to a PB 15:19.00, Kimanzi faded and was nearly run down by 2013 Japanese national champion Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku), who took off from the pack with 500 m to go and scored a second-straight national title in 15:32.74, just 0.34 seconds behind Kimanzi. Relative unknowns Miho Shimizu (Team Hokuren) and Chiaki Morikawa (Team Starts) took 2nd and 3rd, both just under 15:40. 10000 m winner Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) attempted to double but quickly lost touch with the leading Japanese runners, finishing well outside the top ten.
Better luck in the men's 5000 m for yesterday's 10000 m winner Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin). The Japanese field initially tried to go with slow-starting Kenyan pacer James Mwangi (Team NTN), but once Mwangi got into gear the Japanese men let him go chase his 13:22.00 finishing time and focused on each other. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) initially did the work with Sato right behind in the position he likes best, tailed by Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa University) and Hiromitsu Kakuage (Team Konica Minolta). Kikuchi and Sato were soon alone, but as they backed off and settled into a comfortable cruising pace 13:28 collegiate Genki Yagisawa (Meiji Univ.) and 2014 Kanto Region 10000 m champion Kota Murayama (Josai Univ.) came up in a hurry. It could have been a very entertaining race if the two university men had gone right by the two pros, but instead they tucked in, relying on the strength of their last kicks against proven kickers Kikuchi and Sato. Yagisawa abruptly stalled, and while Murayama stayed behind even as the pros slowed, up came the chase pack. With one lap to go Murayama made his move, Sato predictably running right behind him. 300 m to go and Sato kicked by, but Murayama hung on until the home straight before Sato shook free to pick up his first 5000 m national title and first double in 13:40.99. Murayama was next in 13:43.16, Kikuchi just back in 13:44.43.
A sudden downpour spelled the end for hopes of fast times in the night's main event, the men's 100 m, where all-time Japanese #2 Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.), 18, faced London Olympian Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.), Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Naoki Tsukahara (Team Fujitsu), past national champion Masashi Eriguchi (Team Osaka Gas), 200 m national champion Shota Hara (Jobu Univ.) and more. Defending champion Yamagata was quick at the gun, but the same slow start that hampered Kiryu in the semi-final was a problem again and he spent the middle of the race catching up before inevitably pulling ahead to take his first national title in 10.22 (+0.6). Yamagata was next in 10.27, with Yu Onabuta (Chuo Univ.) a surprise 3rd in 10.32. Tsukahara was the first pro athlete, 5th in 10.35. Kiryu's next target is the upcoming World Junior Championships where he hopes to win his first gold medal in international competition.
98th National Track and Field Championships
Day Three Results
Fukushima, 6/8/14
click here for complete results
Men's High Jump
1. Takashi Eto (Tsukuba Univ.) - 2.23 m
2. Hiromi Takahari (Hitachi ICT) - 2.20 m
3. Naoto Tobe (Chiba T&F Assoc.) - 2.20 m
Men's Long Jump
1. Kota Minemura (Tsukuba Univ.) - 7.94 m (+0.6) - PB
2. Yohei Sugai (Mizuno) - 7.83 m (+0.4)
3. Tomoya Takamasa (Juntendo Univ.) - 7.73 m (+0.7)
Men's Javelin Throw
1. Ryohei Arai (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 81.97 m
2. Yuya Koriki (Tottori T&F Assoc.) - 76.18 m
3. Genki Dean (Mizuno) - 74.88 m
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
videos by aoshin0507
Following up on Koji Murofushi's epoch-marking 20th-straight men's hammer national title yesterday, Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) led a phalanx of other long-lasting champions in adding to their legacies on the final rainy day of competition at the 2014 Japanese National Track and Field Championships in Fukushima.
Kanemaru had a 10th-straight men's 400 m national title on the line, and with no genuine competition he cruised in for the win in 45.69, only the second Japanese track athlete in history to get the ten-peat. Women's 400 mH national record holder Satomi Kubokura (Niigata Albirex RC) ran 56.39 for an eighth-straight national title, while 100 m national record holder Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) picked up the sixth national title of career in 11.69 (-0.3), a fifth-straight win and fourth-straight 100 m/200 m double title. Following Fukushima and 10000 m champion Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) yesterday, men's 400 mH champion Takayuki Kishimoto (Team Fujitsu) won a fourth-straight title in 49.49. While not quite on the same level, 41-year-old women's 3000 m steeplechase national record holder Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) added to her own legacy by finishing 7th, making for 20 straight years of finishing in the top eight. What these streaks of domination say about the overall development of their disciplines is another issue, but the streaks added to the atmosphere of this year's National Championships.
Along with Hayakari's accomplishment, the women's steeple proved to be the race of the day. Hayakari went out front from the gun but was soon reeled in by #1-ranked Misaki Sango (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and Misato Horie (Team Noritz). Horie soon faded but was replaced by relative unknown Mayuko Nakamura (Tsukuba Univ.), with Chikako Mori (Daito Bunka Univ.), who set the collegiate national record of 9:58.98 two weeks ago at the Kanto Regionals meet, trying to make up the ground. Sango pushed on at PB pace with Nakamura locked close behind her, but with 200 m to go when she made her move Nakamura could not respond. Sango's winning time of 9:49.85 was the second-fastest in Japanese history behind Hayakari's 9:33.93 NR, while Nakamura came in at all-time #3 in 9:53.87, breaking Mori's two-week-old record. Horie was just off her best in 3rd in 10:05.80, while Mori was caught at the line by another collegiate runner, Kanako Kitamoto (Meijo Univ.) and knocked down to 5th.
Like Nakamura providing some contrast to the dynasties, some new talent emerged in a few events to show that things are still moving forward. In the men's 110 mH, Genta Masuno (Kokusai Budo Univ.) was just off the meet record as he ran a PB 13.58 (+0.4) for the win over last year's national champion Wataru Yazawa (Descente TC) who tied his own best of 13.59. In the men's long jump, Kota Minemura PBd in 7.94 m (+0.6) to take his first national title, part of a strong Tsukuba University team that included Nakamura in the women's 3000 mSC and men's high jump champion Takashi Eto. Nihon University was also strong, taking both the women's and men's 800 m thanks to Fumika Omori and men's national record holder Sho Kawamoto. In the men's javelin, the ascendant Ryohei Arai (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) threw 81.97 m to take down the event's last two national champions Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and Genki Dean (Mizuno), with independent Yuya Koriki (Tottori T&F Assoc.) also bettering the two past champs in 76.18.
The women's and men's 5000 m both played out similarly, the Japanese field mostly ignoring the Kenyan pacers and leaving it for a last kick to determine the winner. In the women's race Kenyan pacers Rosemary Wanjiru (Team Starts) and Grace Kimanzi (Team Starts) had a lead of around 40 m after just one lap, but while Wanjiru pushed on to a PB 15:19.00, Kimanzi faded and was nearly run down by 2013 Japanese national champion Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku), who took off from the pack with 500 m to go and scored a second-straight national title in 15:32.74, just 0.34 seconds behind Kimanzi. Relative unknowns Miho Shimizu (Team Hokuren) and Chiaki Morikawa (Team Starts) took 2nd and 3rd, both just under 15:40. 10000 m winner Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) attempted to double but quickly lost touch with the leading Japanese runners, finishing well outside the top ten.
Better luck in the men's 5000 m for yesterday's 10000 m winner Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin). The Japanese field initially tried to go with slow-starting Kenyan pacer James Mwangi (Team NTN), but once Mwangi got into gear the Japanese men let him go chase his 13:22.00 finishing time and focused on each other. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) initially did the work with Sato right behind in the position he likes best, tailed by Keisuke Nakatani (Komazawa University) and Hiromitsu Kakuage (Team Konica Minolta). Kikuchi and Sato were soon alone, but as they backed off and settled into a comfortable cruising pace 13:28 collegiate Genki Yagisawa (Meiji Univ.) and 2014 Kanto Region 10000 m champion Kota Murayama (Josai Univ.) came up in a hurry. It could have been a very entertaining race if the two university men had gone right by the two pros, but instead they tucked in, relying on the strength of their last kicks against proven kickers Kikuchi and Sato. Yagisawa abruptly stalled, and while Murayama stayed behind even as the pros slowed, up came the chase pack. With one lap to go Murayama made his move, Sato predictably running right behind him. 300 m to go and Sato kicked by, but Murayama hung on until the home straight before Sato shook free to pick up his first 5000 m national title and first double in 13:40.99. Murayama was next in 13:43.16, Kikuchi just back in 13:44.43.
A sudden downpour spelled the end for hopes of fast times in the night's main event, the men's 100 m, where all-time Japanese #2 Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.), 18, faced London Olympian Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.), Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Naoki Tsukahara (Team Fujitsu), past national champion Masashi Eriguchi (Team Osaka Gas), 200 m national champion Shota Hara (Jobu Univ.) and more. Defending champion Yamagata was quick at the gun, but the same slow start that hampered Kiryu in the semi-final was a problem again and he spent the middle of the race catching up before inevitably pulling ahead to take his first national title in 10.22 (+0.6). Yamagata was next in 10.27, with Yu Onabuta (Chuo Univ.) a surprise 3rd in 10.32. Tsukahara was the first pro athlete, 5th in 10.35. Kiryu's next target is the upcoming World Junior Championships where he hopes to win his first gold medal in international competition.
98th National Track and Field Championships
Day Three Results
Fukushima, 6/8/14
click here for complete results
Women's 5000 m
1. Rosemary Monica Wanjiru (Kenya/Team Starts) - 15:19.00 - PB
2. Grace Kimanzi (Kenya/Team Starts) - 15:32.40
3. Misaki Onishi (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:32.74
4. Miho Shimizu (Team Hokuren) - 15:39.63
5. Chiaki Morikawa (Team Starts) - 15:39.77
6. Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:40.35
7. Yuika Mori (Team Yamada Denki) - 15:40.37
8. Riko Matsuzaki (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:41.12
9. Yuka Miyazaki (Team Kyudenko) - 15:42.13
10. Eri Makikawa (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 15:43.43
Men's 5000 m
1. James Mwangi (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:22.00
2. Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:40.99
3. Kota Murayama (Josai Univ.) - 13:43.16
4. Masato Kikuchi (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:44.43
5. Aritaka Kajiwara (Team Press Kogyo) - 13:45.88
6. Sota Hoshi (Team Fujitsu) - 13:46.28
7. Ryo Kiname (Team Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki) - 13:47.05
8. Yuichiro Ueno (DeNA RC) - 13:48.22
9. Muryo Takase (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:48.83
10. Kazuya Namera (Team Subaru) - 13:50.36
Women's 800 m
1. Fumika Omori (Nihon Univ.) - 2:05.05
2. Manami Mashita (Cerespo) - 2:05.86
3. Yukina Tanimoto (Tsukuba Univ.) - 2:06.87
Men's 800 m
1. Sho Kawamoto (Nihon Univ.) - 1:48.42
2. Shoei Tanaka (Morioka City Hall) - 1:49.39
3. Shohei Oka (Wakayama T&F Assoc.) - 1:49.53
Men's 400 m
1. Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 45.69
2. Kazuya Watanabe (Mizuno) - 46.30
3. Naoki Kobayashi (Tokai Univ.) - 46.38
Women's 100 m -0.3
1. Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) - 11.69
2. Anna Doi (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 11.72
3. Anna Fujimori (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 11.84
Men's 100 m +0.6
1. Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.) - 10.22
2. Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.) - 10.27
3. Yu Onabuta (Chuo Univ.) - 10.32
4. Kazuma Oseto (Hosei Univ.) - 10.35
5. Naoki Tsukahara (Team Fujitsu) - 10.35
Women's 3000 mSC
1. Misaki Sango (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 9:49.85 - PB
2. Mayuko Nakamura (Tsukuba Univ.) - 9:53.87 - NUR, PB
3. Misato Horie (Team Noritz) - 10:05.80
4. Kanako Kitamoto (Meijo Univ.) - 10:12.40 - PB
5. Chikako Mori (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10:12.53
Men's 400 mH
1. Takayuki Kishimoto (Team Fujitsu) - 49.49
2. Akihiko Nakamura (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 49.95
3. Yuta Konishi (Team Sumitomo Denko) - 49.97
Women's 400 mH
1. Satomi Kubokura (Niigata Albirex RC) - 56.39
2. Manami Kira (Team Art Home) - 57.27
3. Sayaka Aoki (Team Toho Ginko) - 58.10
Men's 110 mH +0.4
1. Genta Masuno (Kokusai Budo Univ.) - 13.58 - PB
2. Wataru Yazawa (Descente TC) - 13.59 - PB
3. Hideki Omuro (Tsukuba Univ.) - 13.73
Men's High Jump
1. Takashi Eto (Tsukuba Univ.) - 2.23 m
2. Hiromi Takahari (Hitachi ICT) - 2.20 m
3. Naoto Tobe (Chiba T&F Assoc.) - 2.20 m
Men's Long Jump
1. Kota Minemura (Tsukuba Univ.) - 7.94 m (+0.6) - PB
2. Yohei Sugai (Mizuno) - 7.83 m (+0.4)
3. Tomoya Takamasa (Juntendo Univ.) - 7.73 m (+0.7)
Women's Hammer Throw
1. Masumi Aya (Maruzen Kogyo) - 61.31 m
2. Hitomi Katsuyama (Tsukuba Univ.) - 59.56 m - PB
3. Suzuka Asada (Mukogawa Joshi Univ.) - 58.71 m - PB
Men's Shot Put
1. Satoshi Hatase (Alsok) - 18.50 m
2. Sotaro Yamada (Nishinomiya T&F Assoc.) - 17.64 m
3. Ikuhiro Miyauchi (Nihon Univ.) - 17.63 m
Men's Javelin Throw
1. Ryohei Arai (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 81.97 m
2. Yuya Koriki (Tottori T&F Assoc.) - 76.18 m
3. Genki Dean (Mizuno) - 74.88 m
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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