Nozomi Tanaka 8:58.81 at Shizuoka Time Trials

Fresh off a third-place finish in the women's 2000 m at France's Decanation last week just days after her 18th birthday, Nozomi Tanaka (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) took her month-old 3000 m PB and position in Japan's all-time rankings even further. Having hovered close to 9-flat for the last year Tanaka, the daughter of 2:29:30 amateur marathoner Chihiro Tanaka,  finally broke through with an 8:59.83 to take the top Japanese spot in the 3000 m at August's National High School Track and Field Championships.

Oo Monday she took over a second off that time to win the Shizuoka Long Distance Time Trials women's 3000 m A-heat in 8:58.81 over rivals including 5000 m all-time high school #2 Shuri Ogasawara (Yaanashi Gakuin Prep H.S) and 3000 m all-time junior #4 Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.). Tanaka's new PB moved her up to all-time #4 among Japanese juniors and #3 among high school students for 3000 m, still 6 1/2 seconds off the records held by Kayoko Fukushi (Wacoal) and Yuriko Kobayashi (Suma Gakuen H.S.) but on top of the current scene heading into her final high school ekiden season. Times were fast all around up front, with the top four including Ogasawara all recording new sub-9:10 PBs.

Shizuoka Long Distance Time Trials Women's 3000 m Heat 12
Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 9/18/17
click here for complete results

1. Nozomi Tanaka (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 8:58.81 - PB
2. Yuna Wada (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 9:02.87 - PB
3. Shuri Ogasawara (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 9:04.43 - PB
4. Yume Goto (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 9:09.67 - PB
5. Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:16.15
6. Chihiro Sunaga (Shiseido) - 9:25.75
7. Yuka Kato (Toki Shogyo H.S.) - 9:26.08
8. Saya Nakajima (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:28.78 - PB
9. Aoi Makara (Shiseido) - 9:29.81 - PB
10. Narumi Kobayashi (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 9:31.06 - PB

photo by Ekiden Mania, © 2017 Kazuyuki Sugimatsu, all rights reserved
© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved