Yamamoto Leads Top Six Under 5000 m Race Walk Meet Record - National High School Championships Day Three Results

click here for five-channel live streaming of the 69th Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships

by Brett Larner

The highlight of day three of the Japanese National High School Track and Field Championships came in an unexpectedly fast and furious boys' 5000 m race walk. After a relatively benign first qualifying heat on day two won by Ryutaro Yamamoto (Toyama Shogyo H.S.) in 21:08.49, heat two exploded with action, Hiroto Jusho (Shikama Kogyo H.S.) led the top eight under the old National High School Championships record in 20:49.39. The bar set high, qualifiers returned a day later for the final, and again the field delivered en masse. Yamamoto fought off Taiki Naruoka (Iga Hakuho H.S.) and Masatora Kawano (Gotemba Minami H.S.) for the win in a close race, taking 35 seconds off Jusho's short-lived national record with a new mark of 20:14.63. The top six all beat Jusho's record, with Jusho himself almost equalling it in 20:52.94 but coming only 8th.

Another highlight came in the girls' 4x100 m relay. Chukyo H.S. and Kurashiki Chuo H.S. led from the start, Chukyo gaining a slight edge by the time anchor Aiki Hasegawa took over. Facing Kurashiki's newly crowned 100 m champion Ami Saito Hasegawa needed all the lead she could get, but what she inherited proved insufficient. Saito blew by easily for the win in 45.49, Hasegawa bringing Chukyo home 2nd in 45.78. Tokyo H.S. anchor Mai Fukuda almost caught her as well, taking 3rd in 45.80.

The boys' 4x100 m was relatively conservative by comparison, several poor exchanges meaning slower times than in the heats and semifinals. Rakunan H.S., alma mater of Japanese Olympian Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.), took the win in 40.10 over rivals Miyazaki Kogyo H.S. and Sendai Ikuei H.S. Teen sprint sensation Abdul Hakim Sani Brown, out this season with injury, watched from the sidelines as his Josai H.S. teammates were only 6th in the final in 40.80.

69th National High School Track and Field Championships
Day Three Highlights
City Lights Stadium, Okayama, 7/31/16
click here for complete results

Girls' 400 m Hurdles Final
1. Moeka Sekimoto (Odate Homei H.S.) - 59.14
2. Kana Koyama (Kawasaki Municipal Tachibana H.S.) - 59.18
3. Natsumi Murakami (Narita H.S.) - 59.19

Boys' 400 m Hurdles Final
1. Yusuke Shirao (Tonodai Prep Daini H.S.) - 51.40
2. Tomoki Arisaka (Niigata Gakuen H.S.) - 51.81
3. Takuya Michishita (Takigawa Daini H.S.) - 52.60

Boys' 5000 m Race Walk Final
1. Shinjiro Yamamoto (Toyama Shogyo H.S.) - 20:14.63 - MR
2. Taiki Naruoka (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 20:17.36 (MR)
3. Masatora Kawano (Gotemba Minami H.S.) - 20:18.92 (MR)
4. Sho Sakazaki (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 20:24.30 (MR)
5. Koki Ikeda (Hamamatsu Nittai Prep H.S.) - 20:27.55 (MR)
6. Yutaro Murayama (Kawanishi Midoridai H.S.) - 20:37.26 (MR)

Girls' 4 x 100 m Relay Final
1. Kurashiki Chuo H.S. - 45.49
2. Chukyo Prep Chukyo H.S. - 45.78
3. Tokyo H.S. - 45.80

Boys' 4 x 100 m Relay Final
1. Rakunan H.S. - 40.10
2. Miyazaki Kogyo H.S. - 40.30
3. Sendai Ikuei H.S. - 40.43

Boys' Long Jump Final
1. Yuki Hashioka (Hachioji H.S.) - 7.75 m -1.6 m/s
2. Yuta Takenouchi (Kagoshima Minami H.S.) - 7.42 m +0.6 m/s
3. Taiga Oda (Toin Gakuen H.S.) - 7.40 m -0.6 m/s

Boys' Shot Put Final
1. Ryuji Iwasa (Hokuriku H.S.) - 17.27 m
2. Kiyoharu Shirafuji (Anjo Gakuen H.S.) - 16.58 m
3. Hiroshi Ikegawa (Takigawa Daini H.S.) - 16.43 m

Girls' Discus Throw Final
1. Azusa Okawara (Tsuchiura Kohoku H.S.) - 46.50 m
2. Maki Saito (Tsuruoka Kogyo H.S.) - 46.14 m
3. Chiho Takaki (Naruto Uzushio H.S.) - 43.84 m

© 2016 Brett Larner
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