Skip to main content

Sera H.S. Looking to Fight the Good Fight at National High School Ekiden Championships

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/hiroshima/news/20141205-OYTNT50181.html

translated by Brett Larner

Boys team targets "taking home the victory pennant"

Girls team "aiming for the podium"


Set to represent Hiroshima Prefecture again at the Dec. 21 National High School Ekiden Championships in Kyoto, the Sera H.S. boys and girls teams appeared at a sendoff ceremony at Sera Town Hall.  Mayor Masakazu Okuda and fifty other town officials attended, encouraging both teams to put up a good fight at Nationals.

Both Sera teams won November's Hiroshima Prefecture High School Ekiden.  Boys' captain Takahiro Kasai, 18, told the local dignitaries, "All of us want to deliver the strengths that each of us brings to the team so that we can bring the victory pennant home to our town."  Girls' captain Tomoka Nakahata, 18, said, "We want to make the podium, and all of us stand united in making that happen."

Mayor Okuda told them, "I hope that you will shine on the national stage."  Head coach Masaya Iwamoto, 49, commented, "If they run up to their usual ability then the results will follow."  Clenching his fist in the air, to the athletes and team staff he said, "Let's go get that win in Kyoto!  Oi Oi Oi!"

Translator's note: Sera H.S. is the alma mater of several of the best current runners in Japan including Bedan Karoki (Kenya/DeNA RC), Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Team Asahi Kasei) and Joseph Gitau (Kenya/Team JFE Steel).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Hassan Runs NR/CR for Osaka Win, Dibaba Hits Women's CR, Yoshida and Shuley Earn Legends

This was maybe the most entertaining marathon in years. After rocking the 2nd leg at last year's Hakone Ekiden Hibiki Yoshida (Sunbelx) ran an incredible 1:01:01 CR for the 21.9 km New Year Ekiden 2nd leg last month, equivalent to a 58:47 half marathon. That predicted a 2:03:27 marathon if he ever ran one, and when Yoshida announced he was debuting at this year's Osaka Marathon he wasted no time in saying it'd be a shot at the 2:04:55 NR. Things went out fast enough with a 14:50 split through 5 km, 2:05:11 pace, but Yoshida just couldn't hold back and took off at 8 km. He clearly DGAF about what was probably going to happen as his projected finish kept getting faster, 2:04:41, 2:04:15, 2:03:51, 2:03:40, edging closer and closer to what his New Year time predicted, but not helped along by the fact that he missed 4 out of his first 5 drink bottles. People laughed, and then cheered him on. 30 km was the first time he slowed, his finish projection dropping to 2:03:53, an...
1 comment
Read more

Osaka Marathon Preview

The Osaka Marathon is Sunday, one of Japan's biggest mass-participation races and the next stop on the calendar for its elite marathoners hoping to qualify for the L.A. Olympics marathon trials in the fall of 2027. Last year it snowed mid-race, but this year is looking warmer than ideal given the season, with sunny skies, almost no wind, and temps forecast to be 11˚ at the start and rising to 19˚ by the time the winners are finishing. NHK is broadcasting Osaka with a heavy emphasis on the men's race, and if you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it from overseas. There's also official streaming on Youtube starting at 8:30 a.m. local time, although it doesn't look like it's the same as what NHK will be showing. Given Osaka's history at the elite level as the continuation of the men-only Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, the women's field is small relative to the men's, just enough to tick World Athletics' label requirements and with almost no do...
1 comment
Read more

Arao Becomes 1st Man in 40 Years to Score Back-to-Back Ome Road Race Wins

30 km is an under-appreciated distance, and both of Japan's big races at that distance happened Sunday. At the Ome Road Race in western Tokyo's mountains, Sydney Marathon 6th-placer Masato Arao (ND Software) became the first man since the great Kunimitsu Ito in 1985-1986 to win back-to-back years. Arao, who finished 39th of 40 on his leg at the New Year Ekiden last month, stayed in the pack through 20 km before going on the attack, putting over a minute on New Year Ekiden Sixth Stage CR breaker Yudai Shimazu (GMO). Sub-1:31 winning times are rare on the tough and hilly Ome course, but Arao's 1:30:54 almost equaled his 1:30:50 from last year, making him the first Japanese man ever to do it twice and second only to CR holder Ezekiel Cheboitibin . Next up Arao races the Tokyo Marathon, where he is targeting sub-2:06. Shimazu was 2nd in 1:31:58 and Yuta Nakayama (JR Higashi Nihon) 3rd in 1:32:07. Cheboitibin was only 9th, running almost 8 minutes off his CR in 1:36:42. Shi...
3 comments
Read more