Sato Breaks 1500 m U18 National Record

Sato Breaks 1500 m U18 National Record - Weekend Track Roundup

It was a busy weekend on the track across Japan. At Saturday's Kanaguri Memorial Meet in Kumamoto, the biggest news came in the men's 1500 m where 17-year-old Keita Sato (Rakunan H.S.) ran 3:40.36, a new U18 national record, the 2nd-fastest ever by a Japanese high schooler, and 3rd-fastest-ever U20 mark. Sato took 4th after leading the first three laps, with two of the three people who finished ahead of him going under 3:40. Winner Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) broke into the all-time Japanese top ten at 3:38.83 and Keisuke Morita (Komori Corp.) was 2nd in 3:39.37.

Steeplechase specialist Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) followed up his 10000 m win last month in Nobeoka with a 5000 m PB at Kanaguri, dropping a Kenyan trio led by Justus Kevasa (Honda) for the win in 13:22.80. A total of thirteen people broke 13:40 across heats. Joan Kipkemoi (Kyudenko) led Japan-based Africans to sweep the top five spots in the women's 5000 m in 15:30.45, with Ethiopian Burka Desta (Denso) taking the B-heat in 15:32.49.

One of the favorites for the women's 5000 m team if the Tokyo Olympics go ahead, 20-year-old Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) had a good 10000 m debut, winning in 31:30.03 just over 5 seconds off the Olympic qualifying standard. Marathoner Yuka Ando (Wacoal) was the only other runner under 32 minutes, 2nd in 31:46.80. Only two men broke 28 minutes at Kanaguri, Stanley Waithaka (Yakult) taking the top spot in 27:47.15 and Yudai Okamoto (Sunbelx) getting there for the first time with a 27:58.43 for 2nd.

Two other men went sub-28 Saturday at the IUAU 10000 m Time Trials meet at Kanagawa's Nittai University track. Originally planned as the qualifying race for this summer's Chengdu World University Games, the meet saw a lot of DNS when the Games were postponed to next year earlier this month. All the same, corporate leaguer Yuki Muta (Hitachi Butsuryu) and 20-year-old Ryuto Igawa (Waseda Univ.) both went under 28 minutes for the first time, Muta winning in 27:57.15. Igawa just pulled it off in 27:59.74, becoming the third Waseda runner to break 28 minutes in the last four months. Wataru Tochigi (Hitachi Butsuryu), Mebuki Suzuki (Komazawa University) and Tomoya Ogikubo (Yakult) just missed, all three clearing 28:01.Yuna Wada (Meijo Univ.) took the women's race in her debut, winning by over 10 seconds in 32:22.83.

The Chugoku Corporate Time Trials meet Saturday in Kure, Hiroshima was low-key, with Takumi Komatsu (NTT Nishi Nihon) leading the top four under 14 minutes in 13:55.98 in the men's 5000 m A-heat. Kazane Iwamoto (Funyu H.S.) was the only woman to run in the meet, clocking 10:15.54 for 3000 m.

Three others men went under 14 minutes at Sunday's Six-University Meet in Konosu, Saitama. Ken Tansho (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) won in 13:50.84, alongside Kenyan teammate Luka Musemi's 8:53.37 win in the 3000 m SC helping lead Tokyo Kokusai University to its first win in the meet's 17-year history.

Ngetich Breaks CR, Murayama and Sasaki Make U.S. Debut at New York Mini 10k

WR holder Agnes Ngetich soloed a fast one at the 54th edition of the Mastercard New York Mini 10k, leading inside the first mile and pulling away the rest of the race to run a 30:07 CR for the win, the fastest time ever on U.S. soil albeit on a slightly net downhill course. On a warm day that saw over 10,000 women finish Tsigie Gebreselama was on her own most of the way too, a distant 2nd in 30:53 and 17 seconds up on past champ Hellen Obiri . Further back, 2026 World University Cross Country bronze medalist Amisa Murayama and 2025 Morinomiyako Ekiden 3rd leg CR breaker Nazuki Sasaki from 2025 National University Women's Ekiden runner-up Tohoku Fukushi University made their U.S. debuts. Murayama was targeting the fastest-ever Japanese time at the Mini, 32:37, but struggled on the hills just before 5 km and late in the race, fading to finish 23rd in 34:08. Sasaki, recovering from a stress reaction in her upper back a few months ago, ran a conservative ...

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...

National Track and Field Championships Entry List Highlights

Entry lists are out for next week's National Track and Field Championships in Nagoya, the main selection event for Japan's teams for September's Nagoya Asian Games and Copenhagen World Road Running Championships. Top entries in each event with best time in 2025-26. Asterisks indicate 2025 national champions. Men Men's 100 m *Yoshihide Kiryu (Nihon Seimei) - 9.99 Sorato Shimizu (Seiryu H.S.) - 10.00 Yuhi Mori (Watanabe Pipe) - 10.00 Yuki Koike (Sumitomo Denko) - 10.06 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.08 Ryota Yamagata (Seiko) - 10.08 Shuhei Tada (Sumitomo Denko) - 10.10 Ryota Suzuki (Suzuki) - 10.11 Naoki Inoue (Osaka Gas) - 10.12 Rikuto Higuchi (Suzuki) - 10.12 Men's 200 m Shota Iizuka (Mizuno) - 20.45 Aoto Suzuki (Sumitomo Denko) - 20.49 Kota Uematsu (Chuo Univ.) - 20.50 Yuji Michael Orisa (GK Line) - 20.51 Soshi Mizukubo (Miyazaki T&F) - 20.51 Mitsuhiro Numata (Legalis) - 20.58 Seisho Sasaki (Iwate Univ.) - 20.60 Sota Miwa (Koizumi) - 20.61 Naoki Uemoto (Lega...

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