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High Schooler Shimada 9:01.87 to Win National Sports Festival Junior Women's 3000 m

by Brett Larner
videos by Ekiden News



Just over a week after breaking into both the all-time Japanese junior and high school girls’ 3000 m top ten with a 9:01.23 best at Saitama’s Heisei Kokusai University Time Trials, 2015 National High School Championships 3000 m runner-up Miho Shimada (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) was back with another big run to cap the 2015 National Sports Festival at Wakayama’s Kimiidera Park Field on Oct. 6.

After a slow 3:10 opening 1000 m Shimada effortlessly pulled away, dueling with Kenyan Monica Margaret (Aomori Yamada H.S.) as she pushed the pace well under 3:00/km.  Shimada's relentless attack was enough for the win in 9:01.87 just off her fresh new best, Margaret dropping nearly 3 seconds behind for 2nd in 9:04.55. National High School Championships 4th-placer Shinobu Koyoshigawa (Sera H.S.) moved up one spot to take 3rd in 9:14.34, while National High School champion Nana Kuraoka (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) could manage only 10th in 9:24.72.



The junior boys’ 3000 m was much closer, with the top three finishing within 0.75 seconds of each other.  Haruki Nago (Kurashiki H.S.), whose team won the season-opening Nihonkai High School Boys Ekiden just two days earlier, emerged from the melee to win in 8:23.19 over Taiki Inoue (Suma Gakuen H.S.) and Kosei Tanaka (Kobayashi H.S.).

National Sports Festival
Kimiidera Park Field, Wakayama, Oct. 2-6, 2015
click here for complete results

Junior Women’s 3000 m
1. Miho Shimada (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) – 9:01.87
2. Monica Margaret (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 9:04.55
3. Shinobu Koyoshigawa (Sera H.S.) – 9:14.34
4. Naruha Sato (Eda H.S.) – 9:14.60
5. Rika Kaseda (Narita H.S.) – 9:16.35
6. Kanami Sagayama (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) – 9:17.58
7. Hana Omori (Kojokan H.S.) – 9:17.80
8. Ryo Koido (Meisui H.S.) – 9:19.87
9. Wakana Kabasawa (Tokiwa H.S.) – 9:23.27
10. Nana Kuraoka (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) – 9:24.72

Junior Men’s 3000 m
1. Haruki Nago (Kurashiki H.S.) – 8:23.19
2. Taiki Inoue (Suma Gakuen H.S.) – 8:23.89
3. Kosei Tanaka (Kobayashi H.S.) – 8:23.94
4. Chihiro Ono (Tsurusaki Kogyo H.S.) – 8:27.41
5. Koki Ishida (Sapporo Yamanote H.S.) – 8:28.56

(c) 2015 Brett Larner
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Comments

Alex Grady said…
That looks really challenging and achieving!
October 8, 2015 at 2:02 AM
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