Kamata and Kobayashi Win National University Half Marathon Titles

Even windier and warmer than in Nagoya, the airfield runway in Tokyo's western suburbs offered no shade or shelter to the men and women competing in the National University Half Marathon Championships Sunday in Tachikawa, keeping times slower than usual and more people in the race late.

In the men's race, Koki Kamata (Hosei Univ.) repeated his run on the Hakone Ekiden's First Stage back in January, kicking hard to drop a pack in the final straight for the win in 1:03:00. Hakone champ Komazawa University's star first-year Mebuki Suzuki was 2nd in 1:03:07 with Yoshinori Shimazaki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) 3rd in 1:03:08 a step ahead of teammate Kota Fujiki and Komazawa 4th-year Ayumu Kobayashi, 4th and 5th in 1:03:09. Kamata, Suzuki and Shimazaki all scored places on the Japanese team for this summer's Chengdu World University Games.

The women's race was even closer up front. 2020 National University Women's Ekiden champion Meijo University teammates Narumi Kobayashi and Yuna Arai worked together to put pressure on 2019 World University Games half marathon gold medalist Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka University). In the final kilometers Arai dropped off, but it came down to a photo finish between Kobayashi and Suzuki. Both clocked 1:14:36, with Kobayashi given the title and Suzuki 2nd. Arai was 9 seconds back in 3rd in 1:14:45 to join Kobayashi and Suzuki on the Chengdu team. Suzuki will have a rare opportunity to defend as gold medalist in Chengdu, assuming the Games happen.

24th National University Half Marathon Championships

Tachikawa, Tokyo, 14 Mar. 2021

complete men's results

complete women's results

Men

1 Koki Kamata (Hosei Univ.) - 1:03:00

2. Mebuki Suzuki (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:03:07

3. Yoshinori Shimazaki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:08

4. Kota Fujiki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:09

5. Ayumu Kobayashi (Komazawa Univ.) - 1:03:09

6. Tatsuya Iyoda (Juntendo Univ) - 1:03:12

7. Keigo Kurihara (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 1:03:24

8. Yuhi Nakaya (Waseda Univ.) - 1:03:31

9. Ryunosuke Chigira (Waseda Univ.) - 1:03:32

10. James Bunuka (Surugadai Univ.) - 1:03:38

Women

1. Narumi Kobayashi (Meijo Univ.) - 1:14:36

2. Yuka Suzuki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 1:14:36

3. Yuna Arai (Meijo Univ.) - 1:14:45

4. Momoko Yao (Kansai Gaikokugo Univ.) - 1:15:14

5. Mio Kuroda (Nittai Univ.) - 1:15:22

6. Yui Komatsu (Matsuyama Univ.) - 1:15:24

7. Hiyori Takahashi (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 1:15:52

8. Hikaru Kitagawa (Osaka Geijutsu Univ.) - 1:16:00

9. Yuka Masubuchi (Meijo Univ.) - 1:16:03

10. Shihoka Kato (Osaka Gakuin Univ.) - 1:16:04

Five New Championship Records at Japanese Olympic Trials Day Two

Great conditions on the second day of Japan's National Track and Field Championships , U20 National Championships and Paris Olympics trials helped athletes set new National Championship meet records in the women's pole vault, men's 400 mH, men's and women's 1500 m, and men's 5000 m, with three of the five record setters and guaranteeing themselves places on the Paris Olympics team. Complete results here . Women's Pole Vault Final National record holder Misaki Morota cleared her minimum goal, the win in 4.31 m to score enough points to move from 33rd to 32nd in the 32-deep Paris Olympic quota. Morota took two attempts to get over 4.30 m, but on her first try at a Japanese National Championships meet record 4.41 m she got it done. That gave her enough points to move to 30th, but it would take clearing 4.50, 2 cm higher than Morota's NR, to move to 29th. That proved to be out of range, leaving Morota in good position but still waiting to see the outcome of...

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