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Tatezawa Runs Fastest-Ever Japanese Mile at Boston U Last Chance Meet

Another day, another national record. Two weeks after Ryoji Tatezawa broke the longstanding Japanese indoor mile national record with a 4:01.56 at the Husky Classic meet in the U.S., he and three other members of 2017 Izumo Ekiden winner Tokai University raced the indoor mile at the Boston University Last Chance Meet. Chopping four seconds off his Husky Classic time, Tatezawa became the fastest-ever Japanese miler indoor or outdoor as he took 5th in 3:57:43. Teammate Hayato Seki also cleared 4 minutes for the first time in 3:59.03 for 8th, with Ryohei Sakaguchi and Shota Onizuka running 4:05.51 and 4:06.93.


Tokai head coach Hayashi Morozumi was a pioneer of cross-country-based training in the Japanese ekiden circuit while coach at Nagano's Saku Chosei H.S., athletes he cultivated there including 5000 m national record holder and 2:07:19 marathoner Suguru Osako (NOP) and current Nissin Shokuin teammates Yuki Sato and Akinobu Murasawa, who ran 2:08:58 and 2:09:47 at yesterday's Tokyo Marathon. With Toyo University, Kanagawa University, Aoyama Gakuin University and most other top-level Hakone Ekiden programs having adopted his cross-country principles, the success of Morozumi's athletes over the mile in Boston was another indication of his position as one of the most important coaches working in Japan.


© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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