Next generation 3000 m steeplechase star Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.), 18, has withdrawn from the Dec. 4 National Track and Field Championships to be held at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai.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 last weekend of the academic and fiscal year saw at least 5 meets with good results domestically and abroad. Kicking things off Friday was the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne, where Tomohiro Shinno and Naoto Hasegawa took 1st and 3rd in the men's high jump, both of them only clearing 2.18 m along with 2nd-placer Roman Anastasios . 12 other Japanese athletes were in action on the second day of the meet on Saturday, where 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura ran 3:42.84 for 6th in the men's 1500 m. Nagiya Mori had a better one in the men's 3000 m with a 7:45.40 for 4th. Both Yota Mashiko and Rui Suzuki cleared 8:00 too, Mashiko's 7:53.84 the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese-born high schooler. Abigail Fuka Ido and Nagisa Takahashi both placed 3rd in their events, Ido going 23.85 (-0.9) in the women's 200 m and Takahashi clearing 1.82 m in the women's high jump. 8 Japanese men were at The TEN in California to run 10000 m. In the B-heat won by Edward Marks in ...

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