by Brett Larner
photo by Kazuyuki Sugimatsu
After setting a girls' heptathlon junior national record over the last two days, Meg Hemphill (Kyoto Bunkyo H.S.) returned with another big day to wrap up the 2014 Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships. Dominating the heats and semi-finals of the 100 m hurdles, Hemphill ran 13.72 (-0.9) to win the final by 0.11 over Sayaka Kobayashi (Anjo Gakuen H.S.). Doubling in the 4x400 m relay, she anchored Kyoto Bunkyo's team to a 3rd-place finish in 3:44.62, a long way behind winner Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. in 3:39.17 but just 0.03 out of 2nd behind Soyo H.S. Taking all of her achievements at this year's Championships together Hemphill looks set to be one of Japan's big new names on the track.
Boys' 400 m hurdles champion Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) likewise showed good range. After winning the 400 mH title on Friday, Furuya returned to take the 110 m hurdles title in 14.05 running into a -2.4 m/s headwind. In the boys' discus throw, both Ayumu Ishiyama (Hanazono H.S.) and Yume Ando (Tokyo H.S.) broke the National High School Championships meet record with Ishiyama getting the win in a new high school national record of 54.05 m.
In distance action, Kazuya Shiojiri (Isesaki Seimei H.S.), 9th at last week's World Junior Championships boys' 3000 m steeplechase in a PB 8:45.66, led aggressively and alone, opening a nearly 100 m lead before fading over the last lap. Yuya Suzuki (Akita Kogyo H.S.) and Seiya Shigeno (Yokohama H.S.) closed rapidly on him but ran out of room, Shiojiri hanging on to the win in 8:53.42 with both Suzuki and Shigeno under 9 minutes. For a Japanese high school race it was a notably high level race that compared well with Japan's main university meet, May's Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships, where the D1 race was won in 8:55.68 with four men sub-9 and the D2 race was won in 8:52.86 with only two men sub-9. All the more impressive considering the National High School Championships took place with temperatures in the mid-30s.
The top-end quality of the girls' 3000 m suffered somewhat with the withdrawal of World Juniors 3000 m 4th-place finisher Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) from the meet, but Kenyan Mariam Waithera (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) still put on a show, winning in 9:07.75 ahead of Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.), who led four Japanese girls under 9:15 as she took 2nd in 9:14.13. Kenyan Monica Margaret (Aomori Yamada H.S.), who struggled in the 1500 m final earlier in the meet, finished last among the 18 starters in 9:50.28.
Hemphill and Ishiyama were named girls' and boys' MVPs of the meet. In overall team scoring, girls' 4x400 m winner Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. took the 2014 Championships title with 44 points, Hemphill powering Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. to 2nd with 26 and Tokyo H.S. picking up 3rd with 24 points. Tokyo's Soyo H.S. won its first boys' national title with a score of 42 over Kyoto's Hanazono H.S., 2nd with 31 points. The Tokyo H.S. boys also took 3rd with 25 points. With the Soyo girls taking 5th with 20 points, Soyo's combined score of 62 made it the all-around strongest program in the country.
2014 National High School Track and Field Championships Day Five
Kofu, Yamanashi, Aug. 3
click here for official results
click here for comprehensive results in English
Girls' 3000 m Final
1. Mariam Waithera (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 9:07.75
2. Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:14.13
3. Harumi Okamoto (Tokiwa H.S.) - 9:14.30
4. Nodoka Aoki (Mashita Seifu H.S.) - 9:14.43
5. Yuri Nozoe (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) - 9:14.72
6. Shinobu Koyoshikawa (Sera H.S.) - 9:15.13
7. Kanako Yahagi (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:19.03
8. Miyu Hatakeyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 9:20.89
9. Kyoka Nakagawa (Kumamoto Shinai Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:21.89
10. Kyoko Tokunaga (Shimahara H.S.) - 9:22.83
Boys' 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Narita H.S. (Chiba) - 3:10.71
2. Hosei Prep Daini H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:11.41
3. Morioka Minami H.S. (Iwate) - 3:11.49
4. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:11.77
5. Hachioji Gakuen Hachioji H.S. (Tokyo) - 3:12.42
6. Uji Yamada Shogyo H.S. (Mie) - 3:12.84
7. Higashi Fukuoka H.S. (Fukuoka) - 3:13.85
8. Odate Kokusai Joho Gakuin H.S. (Akita) - 3:14.50
Girls' 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. (Osaka) - 3:39.17
2. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:44.59
3. Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. (Kyoto) - 3:44.62
4. Aichi H.S. (Aichi) - 3:44.73
5. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 3:44.95
6. Saitama Sakae H.S. (Saitama) - 3:45.23
7. Hamamatsu Municipal H.S. (Shizuoka) - 3:45.54
8. Shigakukan H.S. (Aichi) - 3:46.86
Boys' 3000 mSC Final
1. Kazuya Shiojiri (Isesaki Seimei H.S.) - 8:53.42
2. Yuya Suzuki (Akita Kogyo H.S.) - 8:55.53
3. Seiya Shigeno (Yokohama H.S.) - 8:57.45
4. Satoshi Kondo (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 9:02.42
5. Itsuki Omori (Kumiyama H.S.) - 9:06.15
Boys' 110 mH Final -2.4
1. Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) - 14.05
2. Taichi Umemura (Kanazawa Prep Fuzoku H.S.) - 14.52
3. Nao Kanai (Tachibana H.S.) - 14.55
4. Shun Taue (Rakunan H.S.) - 14.73
5. Ryota Fujii (Kurayoshi Sogo Sangyo H.S.) - 14.81
6. Ryota Kawano (Miyazaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14.83
7. Ryotaro Taniguchi (Seiryo H.S.) - 14.89
Girls' 100 mH Final -0.9
1. Meg Hemphill (Kyoto Bunkyo H.S.) - 13.72
2. Sayaka Kobayashi (Anjo Gakuen H.S.) - 13.83
3. Nana Fujimori (Hamamatsu Municipal H.S.) - 13.88
4. Kaho Horiike (Soyo H.S.) - 13.95
5. Yuri Okubo (Tsuruga H.S.) - 13.98
6. Fuka Kawakami (Shohei H.S.) - 14.00
7. Ten Sasaki (Morioka Daichi H.S.) - 14.04
8. Rino Ito (Saikyo H.S.) - 14.14
Boys' Triple Jump
1. Chihiro Nozaki (Rakunan H.S.) - 15.40 m +0.5
2. Tatsuya Tsujita (Tachibana H.S.) - 15.37 m +1.2
3. Keisuke Matsuda (Kagoshima H.S.) - 15.26 m +1.6
4. Yuji Hiramatsu (Nishi Joyo H.S.) - 15.23 m +2.2
5. Atsuya Osumi (Hamana H.S.) - 15.16 m +1.5
Girls' Shot Put
1. Chikako Nishikawa (Jonan H.S.) - 14.20 m
2. Nanaka Kori (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.) - 14.11 m
3. China Ijichi (Miyazaki Gakuen H.S.) - 14.09 m
4. Honoka Oyama (Himeji Shogyo H.S.) - 13.51 m
5. Yuki Kamisaka (Seya Nishi H.S.) - 13.40 m
Boys' Discus Throw
1. Ayumu Ishiyama (Hanazono H.S.) - 54.05 m - HS NR, MR
2. Yume Ando (Tokyo H.S.) - 52.46 m - MR
3. Toshiki Matsui (Seya Nishi H.S.) - 51.41 m
4. Seiya Takakura (Joetsu Sogo Gijutsu H.S.) - 50.40 m
5. Shinichi Yukinaga (Seiko Gakuen H.S.) - 49.62 m
Girls' Final Team Scoring
1. Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. (Osaka) - 44
2. Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. (Kyoto) - 26
3. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 24
4. Matsue Shogyo H.S. (Shimane) - 22
5. Shiraume Gakuen H.S. (Tokyo) - 20
5. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 20
7. Hamamatsu Municipal H.S. (Shizuoka) - 18
8. Shohei H.S. (Saitama) - 18
Boys' Final Team Scoring
1. Soyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 42
2. Hanazono H.S. (Kyoto) - 31
3. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 25
4. Hosei Prep Daini H.S. (Kanagawa) - 24
5. Rakunan H.S. (Kyoto) - 23
6. Narita H.S. (Chiba) - 21
7. Morioka Minami H.S. (Iwate) - 18
8. Funabashi Municpal H.S. (Chiba) - 16
(c) 2014 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
photo (c) 2014 Kazuyuki Sugimatsu, all rights reserved
photo by Kazuyuki Sugimatsu
Boys' 400 m hurdles champion Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) likewise showed good range. After winning the 400 mH title on Friday, Furuya returned to take the 110 m hurdles title in 14.05 running into a -2.4 m/s headwind. In the boys' discus throw, both Ayumu Ishiyama (Hanazono H.S.) and Yume Ando (Tokyo H.S.) broke the National High School Championships meet record with Ishiyama getting the win in a new high school national record of 54.05 m.
In distance action, Kazuya Shiojiri (Isesaki Seimei H.S.), 9th at last week's World Junior Championships boys' 3000 m steeplechase in a PB 8:45.66, led aggressively and alone, opening a nearly 100 m lead before fading over the last lap. Yuya Suzuki (Akita Kogyo H.S.) and Seiya Shigeno (Yokohama H.S.) closed rapidly on him but ran out of room, Shiojiri hanging on to the win in 8:53.42 with both Suzuki and Shigeno under 9 minutes. For a Japanese high school race it was a notably high level race that compared well with Japan's main university meet, May's Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships, where the D1 race was won in 8:55.68 with four men sub-9 and the D2 race was won in 8:52.86 with only two men sub-9. All the more impressive considering the National High School Championships took place with temperatures in the mid-30s.
The top-end quality of the girls' 3000 m suffered somewhat with the withdrawal of World Juniors 3000 m 4th-place finisher Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) from the meet, but Kenyan Mariam Waithera (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) still put on a show, winning in 9:07.75 ahead of Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.), who led four Japanese girls under 9:15 as she took 2nd in 9:14.13. Kenyan Monica Margaret (Aomori Yamada H.S.), who struggled in the 1500 m final earlier in the meet, finished last among the 18 starters in 9:50.28.
Hemphill and Ishiyama were named girls' and boys' MVPs of the meet. In overall team scoring, girls' 4x400 m winner Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. took the 2014 Championships title with 44 points, Hemphill powering Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. to 2nd with 26 and Tokyo H.S. picking up 3rd with 24 points. Tokyo's Soyo H.S. won its first boys' national title with a score of 42 over Kyoto's Hanazono H.S., 2nd with 31 points. The Tokyo H.S. boys also took 3rd with 25 points. With the Soyo girls taking 5th with 20 points, Soyo's combined score of 62 made it the all-around strongest program in the country.
2014 National High School Track and Field Championships Day Five
Kofu, Yamanashi, Aug. 3
click here for official results
click here for comprehensive results in English
Girls' 3000 m Final
1. Mariam Waithera (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 9:07.75
2. Kureha Seki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:14.13
3. Harumi Okamoto (Tokiwa H.S.) - 9:14.30
4. Nodoka Aoki (Mashita Seifu H.S.) - 9:14.43
5. Yuri Nozoe (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) - 9:14.72
6. Shinobu Koyoshikawa (Sera H.S.) - 9:15.13
7. Kanako Yahagi (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:19.03
8. Miyu Hatakeyama (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 9:20.89
9. Kyoka Nakagawa (Kumamoto Shinai Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:21.89
10. Kyoko Tokunaga (Shimahara H.S.) - 9:22.83
Boys' 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Narita H.S. (Chiba) - 3:10.71
2. Hosei Prep Daini H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:11.41
3. Morioka Minami H.S. (Iwate) - 3:11.49
4. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:11.77
5. Hachioji Gakuen Hachioji H.S. (Tokyo) - 3:12.42
6. Uji Yamada Shogyo H.S. (Mie) - 3:12.84
7. Higashi Fukuoka H.S. (Fukuoka) - 3:13.85
8. Odate Kokusai Joho Gakuin H.S. (Akita) - 3:14.50
Girls' 4x400 m Relay Final
1. Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. (Osaka) - 3:39.17
2. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 3:44.59
3. Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. (Kyoto) - 3:44.62
4. Aichi H.S. (Aichi) - 3:44.73
5. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 3:44.95
6. Saitama Sakae H.S. (Saitama) - 3:45.23
7. Hamamatsu Municipal H.S. (Shizuoka) - 3:45.54
8. Shigakukan H.S. (Aichi) - 3:46.86
Boys' 3000 mSC Final
1. Kazuya Shiojiri (Isesaki Seimei H.S.) - 8:53.42
2. Yuya Suzuki (Akita Kogyo H.S.) - 8:55.53
3. Seiya Shigeno (Yokohama H.S.) - 8:57.45
4. Satoshi Kondo (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 9:02.42
5. Itsuki Omori (Kumiyama H.S.) - 9:06.15
Boys' 110 mH Final -2.4
1. Takumu Furuya (Soyo H.S.) - 14.05
2. Taichi Umemura (Kanazawa Prep Fuzoku H.S.) - 14.52
3. Nao Kanai (Tachibana H.S.) - 14.55
4. Shun Taue (Rakunan H.S.) - 14.73
5. Ryota Fujii (Kurayoshi Sogo Sangyo H.S.) - 14.81
6. Ryota Kawano (Miyazaki Kogyo H.S.) - 14.83
7. Ryotaro Taniguchi (Seiryo H.S.) - 14.89
Girls' 100 mH Final -0.9
1. Meg Hemphill (Kyoto Bunkyo H.S.) - 13.72
2. Sayaka Kobayashi (Anjo Gakuen H.S.) - 13.83
3. Nana Fujimori (Hamamatsu Municipal H.S.) - 13.88
4. Kaho Horiike (Soyo H.S.) - 13.95
5. Yuri Okubo (Tsuruga H.S.) - 13.98
6. Fuka Kawakami (Shohei H.S.) - 14.00
7. Ten Sasaki (Morioka Daichi H.S.) - 14.04
8. Rino Ito (Saikyo H.S.) - 14.14
Boys' Triple Jump
1. Chihiro Nozaki (Rakunan H.S.) - 15.40 m +0.5
2. Tatsuya Tsujita (Tachibana H.S.) - 15.37 m +1.2
3. Keisuke Matsuda (Kagoshima H.S.) - 15.26 m +1.6
4. Yuji Hiramatsu (Nishi Joyo H.S.) - 15.23 m +2.2
5. Atsuya Osumi (Hamana H.S.) - 15.16 m +1.5
Girls' Shot Put
1. Chikako Nishikawa (Jonan H.S.) - 14.20 m
2. Nanaka Kori (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.) - 14.11 m
3. China Ijichi (Miyazaki Gakuen H.S.) - 14.09 m
4. Honoka Oyama (Himeji Shogyo H.S.) - 13.51 m
5. Yuki Kamisaka (Seya Nishi H.S.) - 13.40 m
Boys' Discus Throw
1. Ayumu Ishiyama (Hanazono H.S.) - 54.05 m - HS NR, MR
2. Yume Ando (Tokyo H.S.) - 52.46 m - MR
3. Toshiki Matsui (Seya Nishi H.S.) - 51.41 m
4. Seiya Takakura (Joetsu Sogo Gijutsu H.S.) - 50.40 m
5. Shinichi Yukinaga (Seiko Gakuen H.S.) - 49.62 m
Girls' Final Team Scoring
1. Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S. (Osaka) - 44
2. Kyoto Bunkyo H.S. (Kyoto) - 26
3. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 24
4. Matsue Shogyo H.S. (Shimane) - 22
5. Shiraume Gakuen H.S. (Tokyo) - 20
5. Soyo H.S. (Kanagawa) - 20
7. Hamamatsu Municipal H.S. (Shizuoka) - 18
8. Shohei H.S. (Saitama) - 18
Boys' Final Team Scoring
1. Soyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 42
2. Hanazono H.S. (Kyoto) - 31
3. Tokyo H.S. (Tokyo) - 25
4. Hosei Prep Daini H.S. (Kanagawa) - 24
5. Rakunan H.S. (Kyoto) - 23
6. Narita H.S. (Chiba) - 21
7. Morioka Minami H.S. (Iwate) - 18
8. Funabashi Municpal H.S. (Chiba) - 16
(c) 2014 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
photo (c) 2014 Kazuyuki Sugimatsu, all rights reserved
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