Skip to main content

Mitsubishi Overpowers National Champions Asahi Kasei at Kyushu Corporate Men's Ekiden


For the second year in a row, the Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems corporate team edged defending national champion Asahi Kasei to win the 54th Kyushu Corporate Men's Ekiden Championships, the final qualifying race for the Jan. 1 New Year Ekiden national championships.

Fresh out of the blocks, London World Championships marathon team member Hiroto Inoue got Mitsubishi off to a good start with a win by 8 seconds over 2016 national XC champion Takashi Ichida of Asahi Kasei on the 12.4 km First Stage. Mitsubishi increased its lead over Asahi Kasei to 1:54 by the end of the Fourth Stage thanks to stage wins from 2nd and 4th men Enock Omwamba and Ryota Matono.

Over the second half Asahi Kasei fought back with its 5th and 6th runners Shuho Dairokuno and Takuya Fukatsu winning their stages, Fukatsu breaking the Sixth Stage record by 11 seconds to put Asahi Kasei into the lead by 4 seconds at the final exchange. Mitsubishi anchor Toshiki Sadakata wasted no time in trying to turn that around, quickly catching Asahi Kasei's Taiki Yoshimura and edging away to break the tape in 1st, his 17-second margin of victory even tighter than last year's 27-second separation between the two rival teams.


With the number of qualifying spots available to Kyushu team increased by one this year thanks to Asahi Kasei's 2017 national title there was no danger of any of the big name teams not qualifying. Asahi Kasei had enough in reserved to run a B-team that included 10000 m national record holder Kota Murayama and his twin brother Kenta, the B-team taking 7th overall but not eligible for another New Year spot.

Inoue's London teammate Kentaro Nakamoto finished only 9th on the Fifth Stage but nevertheless helped the Yasukawa Denki team qualify with ease at 4th overall. Qualifying for the first time, the Hiramatsu Byoin hospital team took the bonus spot available this year thanks in part to a strong anchor run from former independent Aritaka Kajiwara.

54th Kyushu Corporate Men's Ekiden Championships

Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 11/23/17
20 teams, 7 stages, 81.8 km
click here for complete results

Top Team Results - top 8 qualify for New Year Ekiden
1. Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems - 4:02:31
2. Asahi Kasei A - 4:02:48
3. Kyudenko - 4:05:04
4. Yasukawa Denki - 4:07:33
5. Toyota Kyushu - 4:07:52
6. Kurosaki Harima - 4:08:15
7. Asahi Kasei B - 4:10:00*
8. Nishitetsu - 4:10:43
9. Jitsugyodan Select Team - 4:12:47*
10. Hiramatsu Byoin - 4:15:44
* not eligible for New Year Ekiden

Top Individual Stage Results
First Stage - 12.4 km
1. Hiroto Inoue (MHPS) - 36:26
2. Shinichiro Nakamura (Kyudenko) - 36:26
3. Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei A) - 36:34

Second Stage - 7.4 km
1. Enock Omwamba (MHPS) - 20:57
2. Abraham Kipyatich (Asahi Kasei A) - 21:14
3. Paull Tanui (Kyudenko) - 21:17

Third Stage - 13.0 km
1. Keijiro Mogi (Asahi Kasei B) - 37:14
2. Naoya Takahashi (Yasukawa Denki) - 37:26
3. Hayato Mera (MHPS) - 37:35

Fourth Stage - 8.2 km
1. Ryota Matono (MHPS) - 24:55
2. Ryo Saito (Asahi Kasei B) - 25:13
3. Takumi Honda (Asahi Kasei A) - 25:44

Fifth Stage - 13.4 km
1. Shuho Dairokuno (Asahi Kasei A) - 39:53
2. Shohei Otsuka (Kyudenko) - 40:25
3. Masashi Sakamoto (Toyota Kyushu) - 40:33

Sixth Stage - 13.0 km
1. Takuya Fukatsu (Asahi Kasei A) - 37:29 - CR
2. Yuma Eda (Toyota Kyushu) - 37:56
3. Shinji Yoshimoto (Kurosaki Harima) - 38:02

Seventh Stage - 14.3 km
1. Toshiki Sadakata (MHPS) - 43:18
2. Taiki Yoshimura (Asahi Kasei A) - 43:39
3. Aritaka Kajiwara (Hiramatsu Byoin) - 43:44

© 2017 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
1 comment
Read more

Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon

On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox , 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon . The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges.  Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Mara...
41 comments
Read more

Chisato Fukushima Selected as First Women`s 100 m Olympian in 56 Years

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20080706-00000027-yom-spo http://www.47news.jp/CN/200807/CN2008070601000467.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On July 6 Rikuren announced that it has added women`s 100 m runner Chisato Fukushima (20, Hokkaido HiTec AC) to the Beijing Olympic team. Fukushima will become the first Japanese woman to compete in the Olympic 100 m since Ayako Yoshikawa ran in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Fukushima broke the Olympic B-standard of 11.42 with her national record-tying 11.36 mark at April`s Oda Memorial Meet. Although she won June`s National Track and Field Championships, Fukushima was not initially selected for the team as she did not meet the Olympic A-standard. In light of her victory at today`s Nambu Memorial Meet in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Rikuren reversed its decision and added her to the Olympic team lineup. Fukushima reacted to the news of her Beijing ticket by saying, "It hasn`t really hit me that it`s real yet. I would be honored to be the tri...
Post a Comment
Read more