Weekend Track Roundup

The last weekend of the 2021-22 fiscal and academic year had some good early-season outdoor track action at multiple meets across the greater Tokyo area. In Chiba, 2016 Rio Olympics steepler Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) met up with 2021 Tokyo Olympics steepler Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) over 3000 m at the Juntendo University Time Trials on Saturday. Last year at another edition of the Juntendo series Miura bettered Shiojiri 7:48.07 to 7:53.68. Shiojiri ran almost the same time, 7:53.44, but this time he took the top spot as Miura ran 7:55.43 for 2nd. Five other runners from the Fujitsu and Juntendo teams were under 8:05, led by Fujitsu's Yuhei Urano in 8:01.78 in his first race since running 2:07:52 for 3rd at the Feb. 28 Osaka Marathon. 1st-year Kenshin Ebisawa (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) took the men's 10000 m in 29:31.42.

どちらも素晴らしいランニングフォームと接地だが、上肢の使い方(筋力含む)が股関節の動きの違いに繋がってる。 pic.twitter.com/70wqHaY4SH
— 林田章紀/Akinori Hayashida (@RindaEX) March 26, 2022

Sub-8 times for 3000 m used to be rare in Japan, but another one happened Sunday at the Tokai University Time Trials. Tomoki Ichimura from hosts Tokai University soloed a 7:58.26 for the win, the only man to go under 8:05. Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) won the men's 5000 m fast heat in 13:52.85, with Tomohiro Chimori (Chuo Univ.) winning the men's 10000 m fast heat in 29:27.57. Yamada Holdings runners went 1-2 in the women's 3000 m, Harumi Okamoto getting the win in 9:21.83 and Sakiho Tsutsui 2nd in 9:27.69.

Saturday's Heisei Kokusai University Time Trials didn't produce any fast times, but the men's 5000 m A-heat was notable mostly for who was in it. All-time Japanese #3 for 10000 m Tatsuhiko Ito won in 14:06.44, with his 2022 New Year Ekiden champion Honda teammates Shoya Kawase and Ken Nakayama 4th and 8th in 14:16.47 and 14:35.74. All-time high school 10000 m #3 Shunsuke Yoshii (Sendai Ikuei H.S.), younger brother of 2022 Hakone Ekiden First Stage winner Yamato Yoshii (Chuo Univ.) was 3rd in 14:12.61, with 2:08:28 marathoner Daisuke Hosomori (YKK) 6th in 14:21.96.

Along with Tokyo Olympian Kosei Yamaguchi's win at the Melbourne Track Classic last weekend, two domestic meets also had good results. On Monday's public holiday, Komazawa University duo Kotaro Shinohara and Chikara Yamano followed up on their incredible runs at February's National Corporate Half Marathon with a 1-2 at the Tokai University Spring Time Trials meet. Shinohara took 1st in 13:45.65, with Yamano next in 13:57.32. Two days earlier, last year's top Japanese half marathoner Takashi Ichida (Asahi Kasei) won the Miyazaki Time Trials men's 10000 m in 28:09.50, a second and a half ahead of teammate Benuel Mogeni Magoma.

Japan Announces Complete London Olympics Athletics Team

by Brett Larner Click here for JRN's complete video coverage of the 2012 Japanese Olympic Trials, 27 videos making up nearly three hours of footage. The Japanese Federation and Olympic Committee announced the complete lineup of Japan's team of 48 athletes for this summer's London Olympics track and field events at a press conference on June 11. The team features 11 national record holders and 18 current national champions and is young overall, with a heavy preponderance of first-time Olympians including a World Junior gold medalist, 13 collegiates and one high schooler. The Fujitsu corporate team is overwhelmingly the best-represented, boasting 8 Olympic team members, while Chukyo University tops the collegiate list with 3 athletes on the team. Suzuki, whose Suzuki Hamamatsu AC club team exists outside the corporate league, also has 3 Olympians. No Olympic team selection process is free of controversial decisions, and the omission of women's 10000 m Jr. NR hold

Yamagata-Based Alexander Mutiso Aims to Be #1 in Paris Olympics Marathon

Having been named to the Kenyan men's team for this summer's Paris Olympics, Alexander Mutiso , 27, of the Nanyo, Yamagata-based ND Software corporate team, told the Yamagata Newspaper on May 13 that his goal for the Olympic marathon is "to be #1." Having lived in Yamagata for 10 years, Mutiso has strong attachment to the area and credits its environment for helping him develop, saying, "Ever since I came to Yamagata I've been running well." He left for Kenya on May 14 to join the Kenyan national team training camp, aiming to be in perfect condition when he arrives in Paris for the main event. Mutiso came to Japan in 2015, joining the ND Software team and taking up residence in Nanyo. "I don't like the cold winters in Yamagata so much, but the other seasons are nice." From that base he has grown into the athlete he is now, competing in races across Japan and around the world. Compared to the track, his strengths lie more in long road races

Weekend Track Update

The biggest domestic meet of the weekend was the four-day Kanto Region Track and Field Championships , but there were other good meets happening across the country. At the Kinami Memorial Meet in Osaka, Kazuto Iizawa (Sumitomo Denko) had a near-miss on the Japanese NR, running a meet record 3:35.77 for the win to come in at all-time JPN #2. 2nd through 4th-placers Abraham Guem (South Sudan), Felix Muthiani (Kenya) and Dezhu Liu (China) were all under the old MR and under 3:38, and the top 10 all went under 3:40. All told it was one of the best non-international championship men's 1500 m ever on Japanese soil. The women's 3000 mSC also saw a new MR from Shuangshuang Xu (China) in 9:47.45, with 2nd through 4th-placers Miu Saito (Nittai Univ.), Georgia Winkcup (Australia) and Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) all breaking 10 minutes. At part one of the Chugoku Corporate Championships in Hiroshima, Rebecca Mwangi (Daiso) had an easy win in the women's 5000 m

japan running news

Search This Blog