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Kisaisa, Sekiya and Wambui Lead Kanto Regionals Day One


Japan's biggest university meet kicked off Thursday at a new home in the wildlands of suburban Kanagawa. Day 1 of the 97th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships started off hot, humid and sunny, shifting toward cool and windy as the afternoon wore on. Not ideal for the day's main final, the women's and men's 10000 m.

The women's 10000 m was probably the best race of the day. #1-ranked Natsuki Sekiya (Daito Bunka Univ.), the only woman in the race with a PB under 32:30, predictably took control early, challenged mid-race by the talented Rino Goshima (Chuo Univ.) but effortlessly dropping her after 7000 m. An unexpected challenge to Sekiya's second-straight Kanto 10000 m title came from unknown mid-33 runner Yukina Ueda (Tsukuba Univ.). As the other competition dropped away Ueda stayed locked to Sekiya looking fresh and ready to go. But in the back straight on the final lap Sekiya inched away, opening a 5-second lead to win in 33:29.53. Ueda shaved 3 seconds off her best for 2nd in 33:34.70, going on to help a fallen teammate to her feet after the race. Goshima held on to 3rd in 33:54.25, the only other woman to break 34 minutes.



The D1 men's 10000 m was an eerily familiar sight, with Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Nihon Univ.), Dominic Nyairo (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) going 1-2-3 for the third year in a row. Check this out:

2016
1. Wambui - 28:21.69
2. Nyairo - 28:22.50
3. Shiojiri - 28:42.56

2017
1. Wambui - 28:21.65
2. Nyairo - 28:23.90
3. Shiojiri - 28:35.44

2018
1. Wambui - 28:21.45
2. Nyairo - 28:25.55
3. Shiojiri - 28:26.64

Mr. Consistency, Patrick is. Shiojiri got closer every year but couldn't quite seal the deal despite making a big move with 800 m to go. All three are seniors, making this the last time they'll top the Kanto podium.



The D2 race also saw familiar faces up front. with last year's meet record-breaker Simon Kariuki (Nihon Yakka Univ.) and up-and-comer Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin Univ.) duking it out again. Where Kariuki opened more than 20 seconds over Kisaisa last year, this time it was the younger Kisaisa who went on the attack, surging mid-race to drop Kariuki and sail on alone to the win in 28:26.94, 5 seconds slower than his runner-up time last year but more than 25 seconds ahead of Kariuki. "The conditions were tough, too windy," Kisaisa's coach Stephen Mayaka told JRN post-race. "But he tried. Write something good about him." Workneh Derese (Takushoku Univ.) held off top Japanese man Takato Suzuki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) for 3rd, 29:16.77 to 29:20.84.

Apart from the 10000 m, three events saw meet records. Misaki Morota (Chuo Univ.) tied the meet record of 4.00 m in the D1 women's pole vault. Misaki Kodera (Sakushin Gakuin Grad School) set a record of 12.02 (-1.1 m/s) in the women's 100 m hurdles for D2, the division reserved for grad school programs.  Taito Tsumaki (Tokyo Kogyo Grad School) did the same in the D3 grad school division men's 400 m with a mark of 47.69.

97th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships 

Day One Highights
Sagamihara Gion Stadium, Kanagawa, 5/24/18
click here for complete results

Women

D1
D1 Women's 10000 m Final
1. Natsuki Sekiya (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 33:29.53
2. Yukina Ueda (Tsukuba Univ.) - 33:34.70 - PB
3. Rino Goshima (Chuo Univ.) - 33:54.25
4. Momoko Hanano (Nittai Univ.) - 34:04.56
5. Yumi Motohiro (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 34:14.54

D1 Women's Pole Vault Final
1. Misaki Morota (Chuo Univ.) - 4.00 m - MR
2. Aina Kubo (Seiwa Univ.) - 3.80 m
3. Mana Nakabayashi (Nittai Univ.) - 3.70 m

D1 Women's Long Jump Final
1. Ayane Kamiyama (Nittai Univ.) - 6.20 m +4.4 m/s
2. Mirei Yoshioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 6.19 m +2.7 m/s
3. Riko Ryono (Waseda Univ.) - 6.12 m +5.5 m/s

D1 Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Asuka Ishii (Tokyo Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 46.84 m
2. Ririka Sakai (Tokyo Joshi Taiku Univ.) - 46.58 m
3. Akane Kawaguchi (Nittai Univ.) - 46.20 m

D2
D2 Women's 100 m Final -1.1 m/s
1. Misaki Kodera (Sakushin Gakuin Grad School) - 12.02 - MR

D2 Women's 400 m Final
1. Konomi Anzai (Yokohama Kokusai Grad School) - 56.88

D2 Women's 100 m Hurdles Final -0.4 m/s
1. Risa Kojima (Tokyo Gakugei Grad School) - 14.58

D2 Women's Pole Vault Final
1. Kaede Okawa (Tokyo Gakugei Grad School) - 3.30 m

D2 Women's Long Jump Final
1. Miku Morioka (Yokohama Kokusai Grad School) - 5.45 m +3.6 m/s

D2 Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Minori Tsujikawa (Tsukuba Grad School) - 48.89 m

Men

D1
D1 Men's 10000 m Final
1. Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Nihon Univ.) - 28:21.45
2. Dominic Nyairo (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:25.55
3. Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.) - 28:26.64
4. Kazuya Nishiyama (Toyo Univ.) - 28:54.82
5. Katsuya Kawasumi (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 29:04.65 - PB

D1 Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Shu Mori (Nihon Univ.) - 73.29 m
2. Yuta Sakiyama (Nihon Univ.) - 73.10 m
3. Riki Aonuma (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 70.43 m - PB

 D2
D2 Men's 10000 m Final
1. Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin Univ.) - 28:26.94
2. Simon Kariuki (Nihon Yakka Univ.) - 28:52.23
3. Workneh Derese (Takushoku Univ.) - 29:16.77
4. Takato Suzuki (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 29:20.84
5. Naoki Koyama (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 29:24.01

D2 Men's Shot Put Final
1. Yasuhiro Kurimoto (Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 14.87 m - PB
2. Ryuma Funakoshi (Wellness Univ.) - 14.20 m - PB
3. Tatsuya Kubota (Jobu Univ.) - 14.12 m - PB

 D3
D3 Men's 100 m Final -1.4 m/s
1. Yuta Wada (Keio Grad School) - 10.80
2. Takayuki Haranaga (Juntendo Grad School) - 10.90
3. Kan Hasegawa (Tokyo Gakugei Grad School) - 10.92

D3 Men's 400 m Final
1. Taito Tsumaki (Tokyo Kogyo Grad School) - 47.69 - MR
2. Miran Saito (Aoyama Gakuin Grad School) - 48.74 - PB
3. Kaisei Yui (Juntendo Grad School) - 48.89

D3 Men's 1500 m Final
1. Yoshihide Aoyagi (Yokohama Kokusai Grad School) - 3:57.87

D3 Men's 110 m Hurdles -2.3 m/s
1. Shuhei Ishikawa (Tsukuba Grad School) - 14.16
2. Ryo Kumada (Tokyo Bunri Grad School) - 14.46
3. Yuma Nagashima (Tokyo Kogyo Grad School) - 14.78

D3 Men's Shot Put Final
1. Yoshimasa Uzawa (Yokohama Kokusai Grad School) - 12.04 m
2. Yasushi Okamura (Dentsu Grad School) - 11.08 m
3. Teruhito Kato (Tokyo Grad School) - 10.93 m

D3 Men's 4x100 m Final
1. Shuto Grad School - 42.45

© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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