Next generation 3000 m steeplechase star Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.), 18, has withdrawn from the Dec. 4 National Track and Field Championships to be held at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai. According to a statement from the university, Miura struck his left leg while practicing his hurdling. In July Miura ran 8:19.37, missing the Japanese national record by a fraction of a second. A win under the Olympic qualifying standard of 8:22.00 at Friday's Nationals would have secured his place on the Tokyo Olympic team.
The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...

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