Yamanaka Leads Greatest Women's Steeple in Japanese History - National Track and Field Championships Day Three Highlights
Both 3000 mSC were great, but the women's race was the unexpected highlight of day 3 of the National Track and Field Championships Saturday in Osaka. Tokyo Olympian Yuno Yamanaka (Ehime Ginko) took it out on NR and World Championships qualifying standard pace with a 3:10 first 1000 m despite steady rain, and while it wasn't a surprise to see collegiate record holder Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.) go with her, relative unknowns Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu) and Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo). The next 1000 m was only 3:18, but none of the three could stay with Yamanaka. But even though she closed in 3:10 to win in a meet record 9:38.19, all three closed back on over the last lap. Nishide overcame at least two flubbed jumps to take 2nd in 9:38.95, Nishiyama 3rd in 9:39.28, and Yoshimura 4th in 9:39.86.
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The entire group moved up to all-time Japanese 2nd-5th with the NR just 5 seconds away, and even though they were short of the standard at least Yamanaka and possibly Yoshimura look to be in position to make the Oregon team in the quota. But whatever ends up happening to them, all four made it the greatest women's 3000 mSC race in Japanese history.
NR holder Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) took the men's race out fast, initially tailed by Taisei Ogino (Asahi Kasei) but mostly soloing his way to an 8:14.47 MR and a place on the Oregon team. There was constant turnover in the group behind him, but in the end it was his fellow Tokyo Olympians Ryoma Aoki (Honda) and Kosei Yamaguchi (Aisan Kogyo) who took 2nd and 3rd, Aoki getting under the standard in a PB 8:20.09 and Yamaguchi just missing in 8:23.29. 5 others in the top 10 ran PBs, showing that the golden age of Japanese steepling is just getting going. Aoki joins Miura on the Worlds team under the JAAF's selection policy, and with this performance Yamaguchi should move up to the top position in the quota. He'll have 2 more weeks to chase the standard or wait it out.
In the men's 400 mH final, favorite Kazuki Kurokawa (Hosei Univ.) dipped under the Worlds standard with a 48.89 for the win despite the rainy conditions, securing his place in Oregon. Darkhorse Hiroya Kawagoe (Jaws) ran a PB 49.72 for 2nd, knocking Worlds team contenders Masaki Toyoda (Fujitsu) and Takayuki Kishimoto (Fujitsu) back to 3rd and 4th in 49.85 and 49.99. Toyoda will likely still make the quota, but not making top 3 may be enough to keep Kishimoto home.
In the women's 100 mH final, NR holder Masumi Aoki's bizarre decision to double in the 100 m final less than an hour after 100 mH semifinals last night might have cost her a place on the Worlds team. Aoki was ranked 36th out of 40 in the quota pre-race and needed every point she could get in her main event at Nationals, but in the final she was beaten by 48th-ranked Mako Fukube (NKK) 13.10 (+0.8) to 13.28. Either of them could still squeeze into the quota, but it's hard to see what Aoki stood to gain by risking what was an almost certain win in the 100 mH final by tiring herself out with the double a day earlier.
The favorite in the men's pole vault, Seito Yamamoto (Toyota) failed to clear any height and finished with a NM, likely enough for him to lose his 30th-ranked position in the 32-deep Worlds quota. 33-ranked Masaki Ejima (Fujitsu) stepped up to clear 5.60 m for the win, putting himself into the quota and knocking Yamamoto one step further down. Top-ranked women's triple jumper Mariko Morimoto (Uchida Kensetsu AC) jumped a PB 13.58 m (+0.0) for the win, with Akari Funada (Mukogawa Joshi Univ.) also turning a PB of 13.46 m for 2nd.
The rain prevented any really big throws in the women's javelin, but for the first time ever 3 women threw over 60 m at Nationals. NR holder Haruka Kitaguchi (JAL) took the top spot at 61.25 m, Momone Ueda (Zenrin) next at 61.20 m and Sae Takemoto (Saga Sports Assoc.) 3rd at 60.84 m. All 3 were already in the Worlds quota at 19th, 27th and 31st of 32, and these performances were exactly what they needed to stay in contention.
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