Skip to main content

Aoyama Gakuin Scores Double Win as Half Marathons Return


The Ageo City Half Marathon, Japan's major elite-level fall half marathon, was supposed to have happened this past Sunday but was among the many races canceled again for reasons pandemic. But two other half marathons did go off as scheduled, both with fast wins by runners from the Aoyama Gakuin University ekiden team.

The bigger of the two was the Setagaya 246 Half Marathon in suburban Tokyo. AGU's Yuto Tanaka led teammate Hironobu Nakakura and 2021 Hakone Ekiden and National University Ekiden champ Komazawa University's Takumi Karasawa under 63 minutes, Tanaka winning in 1:02:38 by 6 seconds over Nakakura and 7 seconds over Karasawa. Marathoner Reia Iwade set a new course record in the women's race, winning in 1:11:25.

Far to the north in Iwate at the Miyako Salmon Half Marathon AGU's Aoi Ota was even faster, winning in 1:02:27. His teammates Masahiro Sekiguchi, Tsubasa Nojima and Kaisei Nishikawa all cleared 63 minutes, running 1:02:38, 1:02:51 and 1:02:54. AGU runners swept the top seven spots, together with the Setagaya 246 results setting AGU up well for Hakone in a time of few chances to race Hakone stage length distances. Atsumi Nakajima won the women's race in 1:28:11.

© 2021 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee
Labels:

Comments

RigaJags said…
Awesome performances.
Is there anyone who can fight with Aoyama and Komazawa at the Hakone Ekiden? Seems like those 2 will be the heavy favorites, any possible surprises?
November 18, 2021 at 3:34 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games (updated)

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. Update:  On Oct. 3 a third athlete, kurash wrestler Yash Kumar Chauhan  of India, was provisionally suspended after an in-competition test detected the steroid metandienone, the metabolic modulator GW1516, and the stimulant mephentermine in his system. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more