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Suzuki, Bunuka and Kisaisa Win 10000 m Titles - Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships Day One Highlights



Japan's best university meet got started Thursday at rural Kanagawa's Sagamihara Gion Stadium with Day One of the 98th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships. The main finals of the day were the 10000 m, where windy and hotter than usual conditions kept times on the slower side.

In the women's 10000 m defending champ Natsuki Sekiya (Daito Bunka Univ.) gave it a miss after having run Sunday's 10000 m National Championships, leaving the door open for her 2nd-year teammate Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) to take the win in 33:02.93 over last year's 2nd and 3rd-placers Rino Goshima (Chuo Univ.) and Yukina Ueda (Tsukuba Univ.).

The graduation of Patrick Mathenge Wambui (Nihon Univ.), Dominic Nyairo (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) and Kazuya Shiojiri (Juntendo Univ.), top 3 in the D1 10000 m in that order for the last 3 years, gave others the chance to step up onto the podium this year. James Bunuka (Surugadai Univ.) took the opportunity to win his first Kanto title in 28:37.15 over Wambui's successor Charles Ndungu (Nihon Univ.), 2nd in 28:38.90, and top Japanese man Toshiya Sato (Hosei Univ.), 3rd in 28:41.58.



Graduation also created opportunities in the D2 men's 10000 m, but not enough to overcome last year's winner Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin Univ.), who took another Kanto title in 28:21.63. Kenyans Titus Wambua (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) and Muiru Muthoni (Soka Univ.) went 2-3, relegating the top Japanese man, 2019 Hakone Ekiden Fifth Stage winner Yuhei Urano (Koku Gakuin Univ.), to 4th.

In 1500 m qualifying action, this year's Hakone Ekiden winner Tokai University dominated the men's D1 rounds as expected, putting all three of its athletes including captain Ryoji Tatezawa into the final. Tokai's Kazuto Iizawa led the D1 qualifiers with a very decent 3:44.68 to win his heat. D2 times were slower, Shunsuke Saito (Rikkyo Univ.) topping the list at 3:48.73. 2015-2018 Hakone champ Aoyama Gakuin University also put 3 men into the final. 10000 m winner Suzuki's teammate Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.)  fronted the women's qualifiers in 4:26.44.

No meet records came in the day's five field event finals, but in both the men's D1 and D2 decathlon the possibility of a record was on the horizon. Shun Taue (Juntendo Univ.) led the D1 competitors with a score of 3952, almost dead even with the meet record if he has a similar quality second day. D2 leader Teruhisa Motohashi (Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) was well ahead of the meet record at 3719 points for the first day. Kanto Regionals continue through Sunday.

98th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships

Day One Highlights
Gion Stadium, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 5/23/19
complete results

Women

Women's 10000 m Final
1. Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 33:02.93
2. Rino Goshima (Chuo Univ.) - 33:39.53
3. Yukina Ueda (Tsukuba Univ.) - 33:50.62
4. Momoko Hanano (Nittai Univ.) - 34:14.64
5. Miyu Ichise (Nittai Univ.) - 34:15.21

Women's Pole Vault Final
1. Mari Mizukami (Chuo Univ.) - 3.90 m
2. Luanny Tsunoda (Keio Univ.) - 3.80 m
3. Kaori Atagi (Nittai Univ.) - 3.80 m

Women's Long Jump Final
1. Ayaka Kora (Tsukuba Univ.) - 6.26 m +2.7 m/s
2. Maya Takeuchi (Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 6.08 m +3.2 m/s
3. Riko Ryono (Waseda Univ.) - 6.05 m +3.3 m/s

Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Maki Saito (Tokyo Joshi Taiiku Univ.) - 51.73 m
2. Makoto Komatsu (Tsukuba Univ.) - 48.25 m
3. Mizuki Handa (Tsukuba Univ.) - 48.19 m

Women's 400 m Final Qualifiers
Yuna Iwata (Chuo Univ.) - 54.41
Kana Koyama (Waseda Univ.) - 54.76
Shina Gono (Surugadai Univ.) - 55.13
Saki Yamamoto (Nittai Univ.) - 55.43
Ayano Fujii (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 55.68
Natsumi Murakami (Waseda Univ.) - 55.78
Mari Takeuchi (Waseda Univ.) - 55.89
Airi Oshima (Chuo Univ.) - 56.17

Women's 1500 m Final Qualifiers
Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 4:26.44
Shion Ono (Juntendo Univ.) - 4:27.67
Haruru Asahi (Nittai Univ.) - 4:27.94
Momoka Hatta (Takushoku Univ.) - 4:29.02
Kanami Hiraga (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 4:30.50
Kasumi Fujimura (Josai Univ.) - 4:31.77
Minami Sato (Juntendo Univ.) - 4:32.05
Umeka Maeda (Rikkyo Univ.) - 4:32.60
Kana Tsuchida (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 4:32.78
Wakana Kabasawa (Keio Univ.) - 4:39.19
Nonoka Hosaka (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 4:40.20
Sae Hanada (Juntendo Univ.) - 4:40.82

Women's 4x100 m Final Qualifiers
Nittai Univ. - 45.59
Aoyama Gakuin Univ. - 45.85
Tsukuba Univ. - 45.97
Daito Bunka Univ. - 46.25
Nihon Joshi Taiiku Univ. - 46.37
Yamanashi Gakuin Univ. - 46.43
Kokushikan Univ. - 46.45
Surugadai Univ. - 46.64

Division 1 Men

 D1 Men's 10000 m Final
1. James Bunuka (Surugadai Univ.) - 28:37.15
2. Charles Ndungu (Nihon Univ.) - 28:38.90
3. Toshiya Sato (Hosei Univ.) - 28:41.58
4. Vincent Raimoi (Kokushikan Univ.) - 28:53.48
5. Tomoya Ogikubo (Josai Univ.) - 28:57.12

D1 Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Gen Naganuma (Kokushikan Univ.) - 79.33 m
2. Kohei Shiokawa (Chuo Univ.) - 70.29 m
3. Taku Shiokawa (Kokusai Budo Univ.) - 69.79 m

D1 Men's 1500 m Final Qualifiers
Kazuto Iizawa (Tokai Univ.) - 3:44.68
Yudai Noguchi (Juntendo Univ.) - 3:45.86
Reito Hanzawa (Waseda Univ.) - 3:45.93
Hidenori Sakuma (Meiji Univ.) - 3:47.08
Shun Yoshizato (Surugadai Univ.)  - 3:48.26
Ryosuke Iwaki (Nihon Univ.) - 3:49.19
Shoma Funatsu (Chuo Univ.) - 3:50.14
Riku Kimura (Tokai Univ.) - 3:50.45
Ryusuke Suganuma (Nittai Univ.) - 3:50.56
Ryoji Tatezawa (Tokai Univ.) - 3:51.05
Shota Higuchi (Nihon Univ.) - 3:51.63
Ryosuke Harada (Juntendo Univ.) - 3:51.63

D1 Men's Decathlon Day 1 Standings
1. Shun Taue (Juntendo Univ.) - 3952
2. Yuma Maruyama (Nihon Univ.) - 3923
3. Ryoya Moriguchi (Tokai Univ.) - 3824

D1 Men's 4x100 m Final Qualifiers
Juntendo Univ. - 39.36
Toyo Univ. - 39.52
Josai Univ. - 39.56
Chuo Univ. - 39.57
Hosei Univ. - 39.63
Kokusai Budo Univ. - 39.63
Nihon Univ. - 39.66
Tokai Univ. - 39.70

Division 2 Men

 D2 Men's 10000 m Final
1. Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Obirin Univ.) - 28:21.63
2. Titus Wambua (Musashino Gakuin Univ.) - 28:22.12
3. Muiru Muthoni (Soka Univ.) - 28:45.02
4. Yuhei Urano (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 28:56.53
5. Noah Kiplimo (Nihon Yakka Univ.) - 29:09.45

D2 Men's Shot Put Final
1. Takuto Sano (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) - 15.25 m
2. Yasuhiro Kurimoto (Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 15.06 m
3. Tatsuya Kubota (Jobu Univ.) - 14.80 m

D2 Men's 1500 m Final Qualifiers
Shunsuke Saito (Rikkyo Univ.) - 3:48.73
Daniel Kayiok (Obirin Univ.) - 3:49.05
Yuzuki Maekawa (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 3:49.36
Keiichi Terashima (Teikyo Univ.) - 3:49.75
Kohei Yano (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 3:50.64
Atsuya Ubukata (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 3:50.67
Kazuki Urabe (Tokyo Keizai Univ.) - 3:51.00
Yoshiki Ishikawa (Takushoku Univ.) - 3:52.22
Naoki Hasunuma (Komazawa Univ.) - 3:52.24
Yu Saito (Jobu Univ.) - 3:55.46
Shunya Kobayashi (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) - 3:55.54
Hironobu Nakakura (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 3:55.56

D2 Men's Decathlon Day 1 Standings
1. Teruhisa Motohashi (Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 3719
2. Masato Kotsubo (Tokyo Gakugei Univ.) - 3634
3. Gaku Matsura (Rikkyo Univ.) - 3419

D2 Men's 4x100 m Final Qualifiers
Ryutsu Keizai Univ. - 40.15
Sakushin Gakuin Univ. - 40.37
Rikkyo Univ. - 40.38
Nihon Wellness Univ. - 40.63
Tokyo Nogyo Univ. - 40.72
Tokyo Univ. - 40.85
Tokyo Gakugei Univ. - 41.11
Keio Univ. - 41.30

© 2019 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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