Two-time national high school champion Ayaka Kora kept Japan's medal count moving on Day Three of the Tampere World U20 Championships with a silver in the women's long jump. A 6.37 m (+1.2 m/s) on her second attempt was good enough to move her into the silver position behind only Germany's Lea-Jasmin Riecke, whose PB of 6.51 m (+0.4 m/s) on her own second attempt gave her the top spot. There the two remained through the rest of the final, American Tara Davis giving Kora a bit of a scare on her final attempt with a jump of 6.36 (+0.0 m/s) that earned Davis bronze.
The women's 3000 m steeplechase final was the only other final to feature a Japanese athlete. Already having moved in the all-time #4 Japanese U20 position in the heats, Manami Nishiyama improved on that with a 10:00.49 for 9th, well out of the medals but just missing a JAAF-coveted top eight position. After her performance Matsuyama University, where Nishiyama is a student, now owns five of the ten fastest Japanese women's junior steeple marks including the record and three of the top four.
In qualifying rounds the most anticipated race of the day was the men's 4x100 m relay. The Japanese men lived up to expectations, beating the U.S.A. to win their heat in 39.18. Only Germany was faster, winning their heat in a world-leading 39.13. Asian Junior 1500 m gold medalist Ririka Hironaka qualified for the women's 1500 m final, 8th in her heat in 4:19.03. Yuri Yoshida and Yuki Akiyama also made it through the opening rounds in the women's 100 m hurdles and men's triple jump respectively.
World U20 Championships Day Four Japanese Results
Tampere, Finand, 7/13/18complete results
Finals
Women's 3000 m Steeplechase Final
1. Celliphine Chepteek Chespol (Kenya) - 9:12.78 - MR
2. Peruth Chemutai (Uganda) - 9:18.87
3. Winferd Mutile Yavi (Bahrain) - 9:23.47
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9. Manami Nishiyama (Japan) - 10:00.49 - PB - all-time JPN U20 #4
Women's Long Jump Final
1. Lea-Jasmin Riecke (Germany) - 6.51 m +0.4 m/s - PB
2. Ayaka Kora (Japan) - 6.37 m +1.2 m/s
3. Tara Davis (U.S.A.) - 6.36 m +0.0 m/s
Semifinals
Women's 200 m Semifinal 1 -0.5 m/s
1. Polina Miller (ANA) - 23.44 - Q
2. Corinna Schwab (Germany) - 23.57 - Q
3. Alisha Rees (Great Britain) - 23.67
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5. Shuri Aono (Japan) - 24.60
Men's 400 m Hurdles Semifinal 2
1. Malik James-King (Jamaica) - 50.34 - Q
2. Mahdi Pirjahan (Iran) - 50.98 - U20 NR - Q
3. Alex Knibbs (Great Britain) - 50.99
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5. Yusuke Shirao (Japan) - 51.21
Qualifying Rounds
Women's 1500 m Heat 2
1. Dinke Firdisa (Ethiopia) - 4:16.85 - Q
2. Edina Jebitok (Kenya) - 4:17.07 - Q
3. Katrina Robinson (New Zealand) - 4:17.93 - Q
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8. Ririka Hironaka (Japan) - 4:19.03 - q
Women's 200 m Heat 5 +0.7 m/s
1. Polina Miller (ANA) - 23.17 - Q
2. Martyna Kotwila (Poland) - 23.21 - U20 NR, Q
3. Akvile Andriukaityte (Lithuania) - 23.35 - U20 NR, Q
4. Shuri Aono (Japan) - 23.93 - Q
Men'x 4x100 m Relay Heat 3
1. Japan - 39.18 - Q
2. U.S.A. - 39.49 - Q
3. Trinidad and Tobago - 39.67 - q
Women's 100 m Hurdles Heat 6 -1.1 m/s
1. Tia Jones (U.S.A.) - 13.25 - Q
2. Yuri Yoshida (Japan) - 13.38 - Q
3. Lateisha Willis (Australia) - 13.92 - Q
Men's Triple Jump Qualification Group A
1. Martin Lamou (France) - 16.26 m -0.2 m/s - Q
2. Kangaraj Kamalraj (India) - 15.98 m +1.4 m/s - Q
3. Qinwei Lin (China) - 15.80 m -0.1 m/s - PB, Q
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5. Yuki Akiyama (Japan) - 15.70 m +0.1 m/s - q
Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Group B
1. Nash Lowis (Australia) - 74.38 m - PB, Q
2. Sahil Silwal (India) - 73.22 m - Q
3. Anro Van Eeden (South Africa) - 72.22 m - Q
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12. Masafumi Azechi (Japan) - 60.56 m
© 2018 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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