Both the Sendai Ikuei H.S. girls and the defending champ Sera H.S. boys led start-to-finish to win today's National High School Ekiden, Sendai Ikuei becoming the first team in the 33-year history of the girls' event to win the national title five times, and Sera extending its record as the only team in the boys' race's 72 years with double-digit wins to eleven.
Cold and windy conditions with off and on snow meant no new stage records, but in both races there were still fast times. 3rd last year, Sendai Ikuei put its three strongest runners first, leaving the last two stages to debuting first-years. Opening runner Nanaka Yonezawa ran 19:15 for her 6.0 km stage to put Sendai Ikuei 30 seconds out front. Second runner Kokone Sugimori added 26 seconds to that, running 12:41 for 4.0975 km, with third runner Natsumi Yamanaka putting in another 19 seconds with a 9:53 stage best on her 3.0 km leg. First-year Kurea Watanabe added 1 last second on the 3.0 km fourth leg to give first-year Yuzuna Sugo a 76-second margin for the 5.0 km anchor stage. Sugo turned in a 16:04 debut, 5th-fastest in the field, to bring Sendai Ikuei in to the win in 1:07:16 for the half marathon-distance course, just 3 seconds off the Sera H.S. girls' time last year.
Running in 2nd, 2016 national champion Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. anchor Kana Mizumoto was caught mid-stage by Kenyan Caroline Kariba of last year's runner-up Kamimura Gakuen H.S. In most cases that would have been the end of it, but in a replay of last weekend's Hofu Marathon Mizumoto came back on the track to run Kariba down in the home straight. Daichi Kamino couldn't quite pull it off in Hofu, but in the most exciting moment of the day Mizumoto succeeded in getting Kariba at the line, both teams clocking 1:08:23 and Osaka Kunei claiming 2nd. Defending champ Sera was a complete non-factor, 32nd on the opening leg and ultimately finishing 31st.
The Sera boys come out strong, Shota Morishita winning a three-way sprint finish on the 10.0 km opening leg in 28:49 just 1 second off the fastest time ever on the stage by a Japanese runner. Over the next four legs the 6-second lead Morishita built hovered before 4 and 16 seconds, with 6th runner Keiji Hanaoka taking it up to 24 seconds before handing over to anchor Hibiki Murakami. With 5.0 km to go it was a reasonable margin of safety, but Murakami, a replacement for injured team captain Shota Shiode who had anchored Sera to its 2020 win, didn't sit back. With Sera's 2015 record of 2:01:18 for the marathon-distance course in range he ran the fastest time on the anchor leg, singlehandedly stretching Sera's lead to 38 seconds. Murakami broke the finish tape in 2:01:21, just missing the course record but giving Sera the back-to-back national title.
But while the Sendai Ikuei girls were way out front the entire way, Sera's win wasn't as dominating. Its Third Stage record holder Cosmas Mwangi had a serious threat from Japan's fastest-ever high school 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m runner Keita Sato of last year's 3rd-place Rakunan H.S. Sato closed to within 3 seconds of Mwangi at one point, ultimately finishing 15 seconds behind but running the fastest-ever time on the 8.1075 km leg by a Japanese runner, 23:10, 18 seconds better than the old record. 4th Sera runner Hibiki Kikkawa was actually caught by Rakunan's Haruto Miyamoto and Shunsuke Kuwata of 2020 4th-placer Rakunan H.S., but in the most dramatic part of the boys' race launched an all-out kick with over 2 km to go to drop both and re-open an 8-second lead.
Thanks in big part to Sato and Miyamoto, Rakunan took 2nd in 2:01:59, the first time that an all-Japanese team has broken 2:02. Last year's 2nd-place Sendai Ikuei boys moved up from 10th to 3rd over the last four stages, finishing in 2:02:59. Kurashiki faded to 6th in 2:03:44, caught by 2020's 9th and 5th-placers Oita Tomei H.S. and Saku Chosei H.S. who both clocked 2:03:30. The top 21 of the 47 teams in the field averaged under 3:00/km for the full course. In an unusual happening, Tokushima's Tsurugi H.S. started the race at the Second Stage when its lead runner Itto Kuniyasu was unable to start. Tsurugi wasn't counted in the team results but its six runners who did compete were all scored in their individual stage results.
33rd National High School Girls Ekiden
Kyoto, 26 Dec. 2021
47 teams, 5 stages, 21.0975 km
Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (6.0 km) - Nanaka Yonezawa (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 19:15
Second Stage (4.0975 km) - Kokone Sugimori (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 12:41
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Natsumi Yamanaka (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 9:53
Fourth Stage (3.0 km) - Nanoha Myokai (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 9:17
Fifth Stage (5.0 km) - Esther Wangui (Kojokan H.S.) - 15:14
Top Team Results
1. Sendai Ikuei H.S. (Miyagi) - 1:07:16
2. Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. (Osaka) - 1:08:23
3. Kamimura Gakuen H.S. (Kagoshima) - 1:08:23
4. Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. (Kyoto) - 1:08:59
5. Kojokan H.S. (Okayama) - 1:09:45
6. Suma Gakuen H.S. (Hyogo) - 1:09:46
7. Nagano Higashi H.S. (Nagano) - 1:09:51
8. Isahaya H.S. (Nagasaki) - 1:09:54
9. Kitakyushu Municipal H.S. (Fukuoka) - 1:09:57
10. Chiharadai H.S. (Kumamoto) - 1:10:14
72nd National High School Boys Ekiden
Kyoto, 26 Dec. 2021
47 teams, 7 stages, 42.195 km
Top Individual Stage Performances
First Stage (10.0 km) - Shota Morishita (Sera H.S.) - 28:49
Second Stage (3.0 km) - Tatsuki Yamanaka (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 7:59
Third Stage (8.1075 km) - Cosmas Mwangi (Sera H.S.) - 22:59
Fourth Stage (8.0875 km) - Haruto Miyamoto (Rakunan H.S.) - 23:08
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Gensuke Sema (Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S.) - 8:50
Sixth Stage (5.0 km) - Kiyoto Ono (Akita Kogyo H.S.) - 14:35
Seventh Stage (5.0 km) - Hibiki Murkami (Sera H.S.) - 14:22
Top Team Results
1. Sera H.S. (Hiroshima) - 2:01:21
2. Rakunan H.S. (Kyoto) - 2:01:59
3. Sendai Ikuei H.S. (Miyagi) - 2:02:59
4. Oita Tomei H.S. (Oita) - 2:03:30
5. Saku Chosei H.S. (Nagano) - 2:03:30
6. Kurashiki H.S. (Okayama) - 2:03:44
7. Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S. (Hyogo) - 2:03:50
8. Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. (Fukushima) - 2:03:50
9. Akita Kogyo H.S. (Akita) - 2:05:06
10. Tosu Kogyo H.S. (Saga) - 2:05:07
Comments
The kenyans in the third stage were impressive but couldn't really break it.
The second half was enjoyable as well and some impressive runs especially to end it.
A nice warm up for us viewers for the main events who are coming this week. I honestly can't wait.
P.S.
Do you already know where Sato is going to go at college? Sorry if you have already posted it elsewhere, I'm not familiar with when this stuff gets usually announced. (not that Sato is the only promising young japanese runner, I'll keep an eye out for the others as well).
Thanks!
I was honestly hoping he would go somewhere else, not because I dislike Komazawa (i don't have a favourite ekiden team) but because they have a loaded team and they aren't even full of 4th years, they have a great young base and core.
He will make them even more difficult to beat.
I can totally understand his choice of course.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer!