by Brett Larner
The men's 4x400 m relay team added one more to what looks like Japan's most successful medal haul on the final day of the 2014 World Junior Championships. With the U.S.A. inevitably ahead for the win in 3:03.31, the Japanese team featuring 400 m silver medalist Nobuya Kato ran an Asian junior record 3:04.11 to again beat Jamaica for silver.
Japanese athletes made the top ten in three other events as the Championships wrapped up. In the men's triple jump Ryoma Yamamoto cleared 15.89 m for 7th and Yugo Takahashi 15.76 m for 9th. In the men's javelin throw Shu Mori's 69.73 m was good for 8th, Takuto Kominami joining him with a throw of 67.07 m. In the men's 3000 mSC Kazuya Shiojiri ran a large PB of 8:45.66 for 9th after finishing only 10th in his qualifying heat.
At the Championships' end, the Japanese medal tally was:
Shiroyama's medal was the most unexpected, but despite a relatively weak showing by the women's contingent altogether it was an excellent team showing made even more so by 4th-place finishes just outside the medals by Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu in the women's 3000 m, Yuike Koike in the men's 200 m and Yugo Yamashita in the men's 10000 m race walk, by multiple events seeing more than one Japanese athlete make the final, and by confident running in the men's 10000 m and women's 5000 m. Tokyo 2020 is still a long way away, but for the members of this year's team the 2014 World Junior Championships results were a big dose of encouragement, giving them the hope that when the biggest stage there is comes to their home soil at their peak, they too have a chance of being among the best.
IAAF World Junior Championships Day Six
Eugene, U.S.A., 7/27/14
click here for complete results
Men's 4x400 m Relay Final
1. U.S.A. - 3:03.31
2. Japan - 3:04.11 - AJR
3. Jamaica - 3:04.47
4. Great Britain - 3:06.42
5. Australia - 3:06.80
6. Bahamas - 3:08.08
DQ - Botswana
DQ - South Africa
Men's 3000 mSC Final
1. Barnabas Kipyego (Kenya) - 8:25.57
2. Titus Kipruto Kibiego (Kenya) - 8:26.15
3. Evans Rutto Chematot (Bahrain) - 8:32.61
4. Soufiane Elbakkali (Morocco) - 8:34.98
5. Hailemariyam Amare (Ethiopia) - 8:42.00
-----
9. Kazuya Shiojiri (Japan) - 8:45.66
Men's Triple Jump Final
1. Lazaro Martinez (Cuba) - 17.13 m +0.7 - MR
2. Max Hess (Germany) - 16.55 m +1.4
3. Mateus de Sa (Brazil) - 16.47 m +1.5 - NJR
4. Andy Diaz (Cuba) - 16.43 m +2.1
5. Levon Aghasyan (Armenia) - 16.28 m +2.4
-----
7. Ryoma Yamamoto (Japan) - 15.89 m +0.9
9. Yugo Takahashi (Japan) - 15.76 m +0.3
Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Gatis Cakss (Latvia) - 74.04 m
2. Matija Muhar (Slovenia) - 72.97 m
3. Andrian Mardare (Moldova) - 72.81 m
4. Jonas Bonewit (Germany) - 71.62 m
5. Shakeil Waithe (Trinidad and Tobago) - 70.78 m
-----
8. Shu Mori (Japan) - 69.73 m
10. Takuto Kominami (Japan) - 67.07 m
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
The men's 4x400 m relay team added one more to what looks like Japan's most successful medal haul on the final day of the 2014 World Junior Championships. With the U.S.A. inevitably ahead for the win in 3:03.31, the Japanese team featuring 400 m silver medalist Nobuya Kato ran an Asian junior record 3:04.11 to again beat Jamaica for silver.
Japanese athletes made the top ten in three other events as the Championships wrapped up. In the men's triple jump Ryoma Yamamoto cleared 15.89 m for 7th and Yugo Takahashi 15.76 m for 9th. In the men's javelin throw Shu Mori's 69.73 m was good for 8th, Takuto Kominami joining him with a throw of 67.07 m. In the men's 3000 mSC Kazuya Shiojiri ran a large PB of 8:45.66 for 9th after finishing only 10th in his qualifying heat.
At the Championships' end, the Japanese medal tally was:
- Daisuke Matsunaga: gold, men's 10000 m race walk
- Nobuya Kato: silver, men's 400 m
- silver, men's 4x400 m
- silver, men's 4x100 m
- Yoshihide Kiryu: bronze, men's 100 m
- Shotaro Shiroyama: bronze, men's long jump
Shiroyama's medal was the most unexpected, but despite a relatively weak showing by the women's contingent altogether it was an excellent team showing made even more so by 4th-place finishes just outside the medals by Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu in the women's 3000 m, Yuike Koike in the men's 200 m and Yugo Yamashita in the men's 10000 m race walk, by multiple events seeing more than one Japanese athlete make the final, and by confident running in the men's 10000 m and women's 5000 m. Tokyo 2020 is still a long way away, but for the members of this year's team the 2014 World Junior Championships results were a big dose of encouragement, giving them the hope that when the biggest stage there is comes to their home soil at their peak, they too have a chance of being among the best.
IAAF World Junior Championships Day Six
Eugene, U.S.A., 7/27/14
click here for complete results
Men's 4x400 m Relay Final
1. U.S.A. - 3:03.31
2. Japan - 3:04.11 - AJR
3. Jamaica - 3:04.47
4. Great Britain - 3:06.42
5. Australia - 3:06.80
6. Bahamas - 3:08.08
DQ - Botswana
DQ - South Africa
Men's 3000 mSC Final
1. Barnabas Kipyego (Kenya) - 8:25.57
2. Titus Kipruto Kibiego (Kenya) - 8:26.15
3. Evans Rutto Chematot (Bahrain) - 8:32.61
4. Soufiane Elbakkali (Morocco) - 8:34.98
5. Hailemariyam Amare (Ethiopia) - 8:42.00
-----
9. Kazuya Shiojiri (Japan) - 8:45.66
Men's Triple Jump Final
1. Lazaro Martinez (Cuba) - 17.13 m +0.7 - MR
2. Max Hess (Germany) - 16.55 m +1.4
3. Mateus de Sa (Brazil) - 16.47 m +1.5 - NJR
4. Andy Diaz (Cuba) - 16.43 m +2.1
5. Levon Aghasyan (Armenia) - 16.28 m +2.4
-----
7. Ryoma Yamamoto (Japan) - 15.89 m +0.9
9. Yugo Takahashi (Japan) - 15.76 m +0.3
Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Gatis Cakss (Latvia) - 74.04 m
2. Matija Muhar (Slovenia) - 72.97 m
3. Andrian Mardare (Moldova) - 72.81 m
4. Jonas Bonewit (Germany) - 71.62 m
5. Shakeil Waithe (Trinidad and Tobago) - 70.78 m
-----
8. Shu Mori (Japan) - 69.73 m
10. Takuto Kominami (Japan) - 67.07 m
(c) 2014 Brett Larner
all rights reserved
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