The JAAF has announced the entry lists for the long distance events for this year's rescheduled National Track and Field Championships, to be held Dec. 4 at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai. The program features men's and women's 5000 m, 10000 m and 3000 m steeplechase, with two heats of men's 10000 m due to the large number of entries. The defending national champs in five events, Hiroki Matsueda (Fujitsu, 5000 m), Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko, 10000 m), Ryohei Sakaguchi (SGH Group, 3000 mSC), Rina Nabeshima (Japan Post, 10000 m), and Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ., 3000mSC), are all entered. After initially announcing her entry, women's 5000 m national champion Tomoka Kimura (Shiseido) is an early scratch following disastrous runs at both major fall ekidens.
Due to the one-day schedule doubling would be very unlikely, but that hasn't stopped men's 5000 m and marathon national record holder Suguru Osako (Nike) from entering both the 5000 m and 10000 m. Likewise for women-only marathon national record holder Mao Ichiyama (Wacoal) and a couple of others.
As the meet falls within the post-COVID window for Olympic qualification, every event except the women's steeple and women's 10000 m will have Kenyan pacers to try to maximize the chances of people hitting qualifying marks. Anyone who wins their race and either already has the standard or hits it at Nationals will be named to the 2021 Tokyo Olympic team. Complete entry lists can be had here.
© 2020 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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