japan running news

Japanese national team captain Yuki Kawauchi (30, Saitama Pref. Gov't) left from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on July 30 for next week's London World Championships. Having declared that this will be his last time wearing the Rising Sun, the "Civil Servant Runner" Kawauchi told reporters, "It's almost time to do battle. I will give it all for Japan, and when it's all said and done I want to be able to return home with a smile on my face." Having run in Daegu in 2011 and Moscow in 2013 this will be Kawauchi's third time at the World Championships. In both of his previous appearances he was 18th. For the last four months he has trained seriously, doing over 600 km a month and going over 700 km in July. His final preparations have gone well. Kawauchi trained in Nikko up until the day before departure, running his best times ever there. "My racing, training and times are all better than for Moscow," he said. His sunburned and somewhat wea...

Japan finished 3rd in the medal count at the 23rd Summer Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey this week, winning 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. The golds both came in men's sprints, with Maki Yamada winning the 200 m before returning to lead the 4x100 m relay team to gold. Five other Japanese athletes finished just out of the medals in 4th, all but one behind Russia athletes unrestricted from competing by the current IAAF ban. Russia dominated the medals with 21 gold, 8 silvers and 14 bronze, Kenya a distant 2nd with 5 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals. Results of all Japanese finalists over the week: 23rd Summer Deaflympics Samsun, Turkey, July 23-29, 2017 click here for complete results Women's 100 m Final (-1.9 m/s) 1. Suslaidy Girat Rivero (Cuba) - 12.40 2. Beryl Wamira (Kenya) - 12.59 3. Marina Grishina (Russia) - 12.66 ----- 4. Ayaka Komatsu (Japan) - 12.68 Men's 100 m Final (-0.9 m/s) 1. Dmytro Vyshynskyi (Ukraine) - 10.96 2. Hashem Yadegari (Ir...

Celebrating its 70th running this year, the Fuji Mountain Race took place on Friday, July 28. As in past years, the first 10.8 km from Fujiyoshida City Hall at 770 m elevation to Umagaeshi at 1450 m was a gentle climb on paved roads. From Umageshi runners enter trails, and for the kilometer from Hanagoya at the 7th Station all the way to the 8th Station it becomes a very difficult 40-degree incline climb. After that runners pass through an area of rough volcanic rocks as they approach Mt. Fuji's summit. Peaking out with a net elevation difference of 3000 m, the 21 km Summit Course continues to gain a reputation as Japan's premier mountain race. Last year bad weather forced the race to be stopped at Mt. Fuji's 5th Station, meaning that this year's race would be the first time in two years that  runners would finish at the peak. In this year's 70th running, former Hakone Ekiden uphill Fifth Stage standout Shun Gorotani (Comody Iida) won in 2:31:34, an excellent ...

On July 28 investigative officials with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Yoyogi Station confirmed that they have sent files to the prosecutor in the case of a former Aoyama Gakuin University ekiden team member, 23, suspected of assault causing injury against a female acquaintance. The incident in which the man is suspected took place at the woman's residence in Tokyo on January 26, 2016. He allegedly head-butted the woman in the face and punched her in the stomach, causing minor injuries. According to officials, the woman claims that when she asked the man to give her back a watch she had previously given him he became enraged and attacked her. The woman filed a report with the police in early June the same year. Police also interviewed the man about his version of the events. A few weeks before the incident the man competed for Aoyama Gakuin University in the Hakone Ekiden, helping lead the team to its second-straight overall win. He graduated from Aoyama Gakuin in ...

After some last-minute qualifications and IAAF invitations, Japan will field a team of 50 including three alternates for next week's London World Championships . Javelin throw national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) was named captain of the women's team of 14, with marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama Pref. Gov't) captaining the men's team of 36. The complete Japanese roster with best times within the London qualifying window: Men's Sprints Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Tokyo T&F Assoc.) -  100 m / 200 m  10.05 / 20.32 Shuhei Tada (Kwansei Gakuin Univ.) -  100 m - 10.08 Aska Cambridge (Nike) -  100 m - 10.08 Shota Iizuka (Mizuno) -  200 m - 20.40 Takamasa Kitagawa (Juntendo Univ.) -  400 m - 45.48 Additional Relay Members Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.) -  4x100 m - 10.04 Kenji Fujimitsu (Zenrin) - 4x100 m - 20.47 Kazushi Kimura (Yondenko) -  4x400 m - 45.54 Kentaro Sato (Fujitsu) -  4x400 m - 45.67 Yuzo Kanemaru (...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Ten Highlights London, England, 7/23/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T53 Final (-1.3 m/s) 1. Samantha Kinghorn (Great Britain) - 16.65 2. Angela Ballard (Australia) - 16.84 3. Hongzhuan Zhou (China) - 16.92 ----- 8. Keiko Konishi (Japan) - 18.59 Women's 400 m T47 Final 1. Lu Li (China) - 57.23 - PB 2. Anrune Liebenberg (South Africa) - 58.09 3. Sae Tsuji (Japan) - 1:00.67 Women's 800 m T20 Final 1. Bernadett Biacsi (Hungary) - 2:20.51 - MR 2. Anju Furuya (Japan) - 2:21.37 - AR 3. Muhsine Gezer (Turkey) - 2:22.94 - PB ----- 5. Moeko Yamamoto (Japan) - 2:30.52 Women's 800 m T53 Final 1. Hongzhuan Zhou (China) - 1:54.72 2. Madison de Rozario (Australia) - 1:54.88 3. Chelsea McClammer (U.S.A.) - 1:55.01 ----- 8. Kazumi Nakayama (Japan) - 1:58.70 Men's 5000 m T20 Final 1. Cristiano Pereira (Portugal) - 14:29.80 - CR 2. Michael Brannigan (U.S.A.) - 14:39.87 3. Pavlo Voluikevych (U...

2nd in 2015 and 3rd last year, Tsubasa Hayakawa (Toyota) finally succeeded in scoring 1st at the Shibetsu Half Marathon , outrunning 2013-14 winner Masato Imai (Toyota Kyushu) by 6 seconds to win in 1:03:38. Hayakawa pushed it from the early stages of the race, Imai the only one to try to stay with him but ultimately losing touch. 2016 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon winner Melaku Abera (Kurosaki Harima) was 3rd in 1:03:51. 士別ハーフマラソン 日差しが強くなってきました…💦 pic.twitter.com/qRfUei3aRt — はたのまき (@machakin77) July 23, 2017 The women's field was split between two distances, 10 km and half marathon. Kanako Takemoto (Daihatsu) won the 10 km in 34:27 by a margin of almost 10 seconds over an Otsuka Seiyaku trio led by Ayaka Inoue . 2017 National Cross-Country champion and last year's 10 km runner-up Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) took the top spot in the half marathon, outrunning teammate and national record holder Kayoko Fukushi and others to win in 1:14:01. Fukushi finished 4th in 1:15:4...

http://athleticsasia.org/index.php/k2-component/143-500-000-usd-prized-asian-premier-marathon-series-2017-18-launched-in-beijing A very interesting World Marathon Majors-style development with prize money only for Asian athletes. Equally interesting is the absence of a Japanese race in the series. Japanese marathoners would dominate the series if they ran its three component races, their only real current competition in Asia coming from East African-born Bahraini athletes.

World Para Athletics Championships Day Nine Highlights London, England, 7/22/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T38 Final 1. Sophie Hahn (Great Britain) - 12.44 - WR 2. Kadeena Cox (Great Britain) - 13.07 3. Lindy Ave (Germany) - 13.16 - PB ----- 8. Yuka Takamatsu (Japan) - 14.32 - PB Men's 800 m T20 Final 1. Michael Brannigan (U.S.A.) - 1:54.24 2. Deliber Rodriguez Ramirez (Spain) - 1:55.23 - PB 3. Sylwester Jaciuk (Poland) - 1:56.92 - PB ----- 4. Yuki Uemura (Japan) - 1:59.64 8. Yusuke Yamanouchi (Japan) - 2:07.61 Men's 1500 m T37 Final 1. Michael McKillop (Ireland) - 4:36.38 2. Liam Stanley (Canada) - 4.37.96 3. Madjid Djemai (Algeria) - 4:41.93 ----- 6. Takafumi Igusa (Japan) - 4:48.51 Men's High Jump T44 Final 1. Maciej Lepiato (Poland) - 2.14 m 2. Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Great Britain) - 2.08 m 3. Toru Suzuki (Japan) - 2.01 m Women's Shot Put F36 Final 1. Qing Wu (China) - 9.69 m 2. Juliane Mogge (Germany) - 9....

At a JAAF event at the British Embassy in Tokyo on July 21, marathoner Yuki Kawauchi (30, Saitama Pref. Gov't) was named men's captain of the Japanese national team for next month's London World Championships. Javelin throw national record holder Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) was chosen as women's captain. In a wide-ranging and impassioned speech 4 minutes and 20 seconds long, Kawauchi stoked the team's morale as he told attendees, "I think that there are athletes here today who look at London as just a checkpoint along the way to the Tokyo Olympics. But as a representative of Japan it is not enough just to be there competing. I feel it strongly. You must produce results at this event, the London World Championships. This is the task assigned to each and every one of us. It is critical that we work seriously to achieve our goals. The Japanese people want nothing less. What can we as athletes do for them? More than just wearing the uniform, each of us...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Eight Highlights London, England, 7/21/17 click here for complete results Women's 400 m T38 Final 1. Kadeena Cox (Great Britain) - 1:02.87 2. Yuka Takamatsu (Japan) - 1:08.32 - PB 3. Torita Blake (Australia) - 1:09.24 Men's 800 m T54 Final 1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) - 1:38.40 2. Yang Liu (China) - 1:38.69 3. Yassine Gharbi (Tunisia) - 1:38.82 ----- 5. Tomoki Suzuki (Japan) - 1:39.64 Men's Long Jump T37 Final 1. Guangxu Shang (China) - 6.58 m - CR 2. Mateus Evangelista Cardoso (Brazil) - 6.10 m 3. Vladyslav Zahrebelnyi (Ukraine) - 5.95 m - PB ----- 7. Nozomu Detohata (Japan) - 5.60 m Women's Shot Put F44 Final 1. Frederike Koleiski (Germany) - 11.53 m 2. Yuan Yao (China) - 11.48 m 3. Yue Yang (China) - 11.32 m ----- 8. Fumiko Takado (Japan) - 7.65 m Men's Shot Put F53 Final 1. Hemami Mokhtari (Iran) - 8.35 m - AR 2. Scot Severn (U.S.A.) - 8.13 m 3. Asadollah Azimi (Iran) - 7.96 m ----- 6. T...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Seven Highlights London, England, 7/20/17 click here for complete results Women's 400 m T34 Final 1. Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain) - 58.29 - CR 2. Alexa Halko (U.S.A.) - 59.93 - AR 3. Kara Adenegan (Great Britain) - 1:02.94 ----- 5. Haruka Kitaura (Japan) - 1:12.30 Women's Long Jump T11 Final 1. Arjola Dedaj (Italy) - 4.65 m (+0.4 m/s) 2. Chiaki Takada (Japan) - 4.49 m (-0.4 m/s) - PB 3. Huimin Zhong (China) - 4.44 m (-0.6 m/s) - PB © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

World Para Athletics Championships Day Six Highlights London, England, 7/19/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T52 Final (-0.2 m/s) 1. Teruyo Tanaka (Japan) - 23.09 2. Yuka Kiyama (Japan) - 25.17 3. Norsilawati Sa'at (Singapore) - 26.78 Women's 400 m T13 Final 1. Leilia Adzhametova (Ukraine) - 56.56 m - PB 2. Sanea Benhama (Morocco) - 56.66 m - PB 3. Carolina Duarte (Portugal) - 57.52 m - PB ----- 6. Mana Sasaki (Japan) - 1:00.17 - AR Women's 400 m T53 Final 1. Hongchuan Zhou (China) - 55.22 - CR 2. Chelsea McClammer (U.S.A.) - 55.50 3. Samantha Kinghorn (Great Britain) - 56.71 ----- 6. Kazumi Nakayama (Japan) - 1:00.62 Men'x 4x400 m Relay T53/54 Final 1. Japan 3:15.93 Men's Long Jump T47 Final 1. Hao Wang (China) - 7.18 m (-0.9 m/s) 2. Arnaud Assoumani (France) - 7.13 m (-0.7 m/s) 3. Tobi Fawehinmi (U.S.A.) - 7.03 m (-1.3 m/s) ----- 5. Hajimu Ashida (Japan) - 6.40 m (-0.7 m/s) Men's Javelin Throw F37 Final ...

The JAAF has made a series of announcements over the last week confirming additions to its small team for next month's London World Championships. Along with previously announced rosters for track and field events, combined events and road events, the following athletes have been added to the Japanese team. Relay members are pending IAAF confirmation. The final complete team roster is expected next week. Men's 400 m Hurdles Ryo Kajiki (Josai Univ.) - 49.33 Yusuke Ishida (Waseda Univ.) - 49.35 Men's 3000 m Steeplechase Hironori Tsuetaki (Fujitsu) - 8:29.05 Men's 4 x 400 m Relay Yuzo Kanemaru (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 45.76 Kosuke Horii (Sumitomo Denko) - 45.88 Women's Javelin Throw Yuki Ebihara (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 61.95 m © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

World Para Athletics Championships Day Five Highlights London, England, 7/18/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T47 Final   (-0.2 m/s) 1. Deja Young (U.S.A.) - 12.39 2. Alicja Fiodorow (Poland) - 12.61 3. Lu Li (China) - 12.62 - PB ----- 7. Sae Tsuji (Japan) - 13.23 Men's 200 m T54 Final (-0.4 m/s) 1. Yassine Gharbi (Tunisia) - 24.86 - MR 2. Kenny van Weeghel (Netherlands) - 24.92 3. Leo Pekka Tahti (Finland) - 25.05 ----- 8. Yuki Nishi (Japan) - 26.27 Men's 400 m T52 Final 1. Tomoki Sato (Japan) - 56.78 - MR 2. Raymond Martin (U.S.A.) - 57.21 (MR) 3. Hirokazu Ueyonabaru (Japan) - 1:02.27 Men's Long Jump T42 Final 1. Daniel Wagner (Denmark) - 6.50 - MR 2. Atsushi Yamamoto (Japan) - 6.44 (MR) 3. Leon Schaefer (Germany) - 6.25 m Women's Discus Throw F44 Final 1. Juan Yao (China) - 39.72 2. Yue Yang (China) - 38.25 3. Sarah Edmiston (Australia) - 33.80 - AR ----- 8. Fumiko Takado (Japan) - 22.50 © 2017 Brett Larner,...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-06/22/c_136387198.htm An interesting article from late last month on the growth of Chinese amateur marathoning.

A local school in Isahaya, Nagasaki held a sendoff on July 16 for marathoner and alumnus Hiroto Inoue ahead of next month's London World Championships. Speaking with determination Inoue told attendees, "As a member of the national team my run will bring no shame." The sendoff ceremony took place in the principal's office at Inoue's alma mater, Iimori Nishi Elementary School. Local elementary and junior school students gathered along with members of the area residents' association to give Inoue their support and best wishes. Inoue received a ceremonial board on which current Iimori Nishi students had written messages of encouragement. Inoue then went outside to speak to a crowd of local residents about his ambitions for his first World Championships, telling them, "As a member of the national team I will do my best to bring you no shame, so please cheer for me." He then signed autographs and took pictures with waiting children. One fifth grade ...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Four Highlights London, England, 7/17/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T13 Final (0.0 m/s) 1. Leilia Adzhametova (Ukraine) - 12.00 - MR 2. Ilse Hayes (South Africa) - 12.17 3. Kym Crosby (U.S.A.) - 12.18 - PB ----- 7. Tomomi Sato (Japan) - 13.08 Men's 100 m T42 Final (-0.4 m/s) 1. Scott Reardon (Australia) - 12.21 2. Daniel Wagner (Denmark) - 12.30 3. Richard Whitehead (Great Britain) - 12.39 ----- 6. Atsushi Yamamoto (Japan) - 13.08 Men's 400 m T44 Final 1. Michail Seitis (Greece) - 51.41 2. Simone Manigrasso (Italy) - 54.07 - PB 3. Emanuele di Marino (Italy) - 55.70 ----- 7. Mikio Ikeda (Japan) - 59.40 Men's 800 m T54 Final 1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) - 1:37.64 2. Yang Liu (China) - 1:37.97 3. Saichon Konjen (Thailand) - 1:38.12 ----- 4. Tomoki Suzuki (Japan) - 1:41.42 Men's 1500 m T20 Final 1. Michael Brannigan (U.S.A.) - 3:53.05 - CR 2. Cristiano Pereira (Portugal) - 3:...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Three Highlights London, England, 7/16/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T42 Final (+1.0 m/s) 1. Martina Caironi (Italy) - 14.65 2. Monica Contrafalto (Italy) - 15.35 - PB 3. Scout Bassett (U.S.A.) - 16.68 ----- 5. Kaede Maegawa (Japan) - 16.92 - PB 7. Hitomi Onishi (Japan) - 17.39 8. Sayaka Murakami (Japan) - 17.50 Women's 200 m T13 Final (+0.2 m/s) 1. Leilia Adzhametova (Ukraine) - 24.63 - AR 2. Ilse Hayes (South Africa) - 24.94 3. Kym Crosby (U.S.A.) - 25.21 - PB ----- 5. Mana Sasaki (Japan) - 26.36 - AR 6. Tomomi Sato (Japan) - 26.99 Men's 1500 m T52 Final 1. Tomoki Sato (Japan) - 3:45.89 - MR 2. Ryamon Martin (U.S.A.) - 3:47.04 3. Hirokazu Ueyonabaru (Japan) - 4:01.56 Men's 1500 m T54 Final 1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) - 3:04.33 2. Yassine Gharbi (Tunisia) - 3:04.58 3. Alhassane Balde (Germany) - 3:04.61 ----- 7. Tomoki Suzuki (Japan) - 3:05.99 © 2017 Brett Larner, all rights ...

World Para Athletics Championships Day Two Highlights London, England, 7/15/17 click here for complete results Men's 100 m T47 Final (+0.1 m/s) 1. Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos (Brazil) - 10.53 - WR 2. Yohansson Nascimento (Brazil) - 10.80 3. Michal Derus (Poland) - 10.91 ----- 8. Tomoki Tagawa (Japan) - 11.54 Women's 200 m T38 Final (+0.5 m/s) 1. Sophie Hahn (Great Britain) - 26.11 - WR 2. Lindy Ave (Germany) - 27.02 - PB 3. Kadeena Cox (Great Britain) - 27.15 - PB ----- 6. Yuka Takamatsu (Japan) - 29.56 - PB Women's 200 m T47 Final (+0.6 m/s) 1.Deja Young (U.S.A.) - 25.10 2. Anrune Liebenberg (South Africa) - 25.53 - AR 3. Lu Li (China) - 25.71 - PB ----- 6. Sae Tsuji (Japan) - 26.84 - PB Women's 200 m T53 Final (+0.5 m/s) 1. Samantha Kinghorn (Great Britain) - 28.61 - WR 2. Angela Ballard (Australia) - 29.09 3. Hamide Kurt (Turkey) - 30.02 - PB ----- 8. Keiko Konishi (Japan) - 33.97 Men's 5000 m T11 Final 1. Samwel Kimani (...

World Para Athletics Championships Day One Highlights London, England, 7/14/17 click here for complete results Women's 100 m T34 Final   (0.0 m/s) 1. Hannah Cockroft (Great Britain) - 17.18 - WR 2. Karen Adenegan (Great Britain) - 18.01 3. Alexa Halko (U.S.A.) - 18.43 - AR ----- 7. Haruka Kitaura (Japan) - 20.15 Men's 100 m T54 Final (+0.3 m/s) 1. Leo Pekka Tahti (Finland) - 13.95 2. Yang Liu (China) - 14.07 3. Kenny van Weeghel (Netherlands) - 14.25 ----- 8. Tomoaki Ikoma (Japan) - 14.86 Women's 400 m T52 Final 1. Teruyo Tanaka (Japan) - 1:21.20 2. Yuka Kiyama (Japan) - 1:26.30 Men's Javelin Throw F46 Final 1. Sundar Gurjar (India) - 60.36 m - PB 2. Dinesh Herath (Sri Lanka) - 57.93 m 3. Chunliang Guo (China) - 56.14 m ----- 5. Akihiro Yamazaki (Japan) - 53.55 m

The final meet in the Hokuren Distance Challenge series took place July 13 in Abashiri, Hokkaido. Rio de Janeiro Olympics women's marathon team member Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) ran in the 5000 m B-heat. The Japanese national record holder with a best of 14:53.22, Fukushi ran 16:11.39. Now 35, Fukushi got married in March this year. This year's World Championships were never part of her plans. Asked about her next marathon she answered, "Dunno. Next year somewhere. Probably not this year." After Abashiri Fukushi will do a one-month training camp in Hokkaido. "For now let's see what this body can do in a month [of training] ," she said. Source article:  http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20170713/ath17071322070004-n1.html translated by Brett Larner

The final meet in Japan's Hokuren Distance Challenge series, Thursday's Abashiri meet was set up to give people one last chance to clear the qualifying standards for next month's London World Championships ahead of the fast-approaching deadline. Temperatures were far above normal for northern Hokkaido through much of the day, the mid-afternoon peak reported at over 36C at the time of the men's 800 m A-heat and still at 25C at the start of the five standard-chasing races in the evening. 網走女子5000A https://t.co/GquthBd13K — ホクレン・ディスタンスチャレンジ2017 (@hokurendc2017) July 13, 2017 The best race of the day was the women's 5000 m A-heat. With two women already confirmed for London the third spot on the team was up for grabs. First in line under the JAAF's criteria for addition, top three at Nationals and under the 15:22.00 standard, was 16-year-old Shuri Ogasawara (Yamanashi Gakuin H.S.), 3rd at Nationals in an U18 national record of 15:23.56. Next in line would...

Running again in her hometown on the second day of the Osaka Track and Field Championships at Yanmar Stadium Nagai, 2014 Youth Olympics girls' 3000 m gold medalist Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (19, Osaka T&F Assoc.) took the first step toward a comeback. Closing the gap to the runner ahead of her on the second lap, Takamatsu finished with effort to spare in 2:14.51 for 2nd. "I was able to run the way I'd envisioned," she said afterward. "I had some anxiety since it was pretty much my first real race in a year but I was able to give it my best." After graduating from Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. in the spring last year Takamatsu moved to Oregon, U.S.A. to take part in the " Nike Oregon Project " elite long distance group created by Nike. With a dream of winning gold in the 5000 m or 10000 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and high hopes in her heart, she crossed the ocean. But in the U.S. she was hit by the cold hand of reality. "I was DFL ...

With Japan chomping at the bit to see its first-ever sub-10 clocking in the men's 100 m, Twitter user @touchdown_time  put together the following list showing every time Japanese men have broken 10.10. The left column shows legal performances and the right column wind-aided times, with the fastest time by each athlete to have done it marked in yellow. 男子100m日本歴代（10秒09以内）最新版 pic.twitter.com/ePFyumc7kw — タッチダウンタイム (@touchdown_time) July 10, 2017 What's notable is that of the twelve men to have broken 10.10 with legal wind, four did it for the first time in June this year. At the time of Japan's 4x100 m silver medal last summer at the Rio Olympics only team members Yoshihide Kiryu (Toyo Univ.) and Ryota Yamagata (Seiko) and alternate Kei Takase (Fujitsu) had run faster than 10.10. After third Rio member Aska Cambridge (Nike) dropped a wind-aided 9.98 earlier in the season its fourth man Shota Iizuka (Mizuno), known more as a 200 m specialist, started the streak off...

With a roster somewhat depleted of top-level talent Japan took no gold but managed to pick up five silver and nine bronze medals at the July 6-9  Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, India. Japanese women scored the majority of the medals, taking three silver and eight bronze medals to the men's count of two silver, one bronze. Women's 10000 m national champion Mizuki Matsuda (Daihatsu) and men's 110 m hurdles national champ Shunya Takayama (Zenrin) were the only athletes already named to Japan's London World Championships team to participate. Matsuda took the bronze medal in the 10000 m behind Daria Maslova (Kyrghizstan) and national championships 5th-placer Yuka Hori (Japan), while Takayama missed out on bronze by 0.04 seconds as he took 4th in 13.65 (-0.6 m/s). With none of the Japanese medalists clearing London standards at the Asian Athletics Championships there were no additions beyond Matsuda and Takayama to the London team from among those wh...

Already the U18 national record holder for 3000 m, 18-year-old  Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) stepped up with an U20 record in the men's 3000 m at the third meet in the Hokuren Distance Challenge series Sunday in Kitami, Hokkaido. 北見男子prj-A3000m陸連強化レース(ペースメーカーあり) https://t.co/8s96euEND3 — ホクレン・ディスタンスチャレンジ2017 (@hokurendc2017) July 9, 2017 The men's and women's 3000 m races on the program as a step toward Wednesday's fourth and final HDC meet in Abashiri where people will be shooting for last-minute London World Championships qualifying standards. With pacer Evans Keitany (Toyota Boshoku) targeting 7:55 the men's race came down to a sprint finish between Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei), Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) and Chiharu Nakagawa (Toenec) over the last lap. Yoroizaka dropped Ichida in the home straight to win in 7:52.70, the fastest-ever 3000 m time by a Japanese man on Japanese soil and one that made him all-time #10 in the Japanese record books. ...