Arai Breaks Asian Record at BU Last Chance Invitational

Running at the same meet where 2019 Hakone Ekiden champion Tokai University's Ryoji Tatezawa broke the indoor mile national record last year, Tokai graduate Nanami Arai (Honda) ran an Asian area record 3:56.60 for the win at Sunday's Boston University Last Chance Invitational. A teammate of half marathon national record holder Yuta Shtiara, Arai outkicked Olympic medalist Nick Willis to record the fastest-ever mile indoor or outdoor by a Japanese athlete and take 0.45 off the Asian indoor record set way back in 1993 by Qatar's Mohamed Suleiman. Yasunari Kusu (Ami AC) was 11th in 4:07.21.

Returning to the B.U. track two weeks after breaking the 5000 m indoor national record at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) came up well short of Suguru Osako's 3000 m indoor NR of 7:45.62, running 8:02.43 for 3rd.

Boston University Last Chance Invitational

Boston, U.S.A., 2/24/19
complete results

Men's Mile
1. Nanami Arai (Honda) - 3:56.60 - AR
2. Nick Willis (Adidas) - 3:56.93
3. James Randon (Freedom TC) - 3:58.07
4. Daniel Herrera (High Perform) - 3:58.35
5. Julian Oakley (Ocean State AC) - 3:58.39
-----
11. Yasunari Kusu (Ami AC) - 4:07.21

Men's 3000 m
1. Marc Scott (Bowerman TC) - 7:51.65
2. Louis Serafini (Tracksmith Hare AC) - 8:00.90
3. Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) - 8:02.43
4. Benjamin Groleau (Western Mass) - 8:03.16
5. Freddie Hessian (Academy of Art) - 8:23.77

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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