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Kitaguchi Leads Women's Javelin - Oregon 22 Day 5 and 6 Japanese Results

Day 5 of the Oregon 22 World Championships saw only two Japanese athletes in action, with Koki Ueyama and Shota Iizuka running the men's 200 m semifinals. Ueyama took 6th in SF 3 in 20.48 +0.3, with Iizuka bowing out in Heat 1 at 20.77 -0.1 for 7th.

Day 6 kicked off with the women's javelin throw qualification round. Haruka Kitaguchi only threw once, but that was all it took for her to put herself at the top of the field at 64.32 m. Sae Takemoto also made it to the final with a 59.15 m throw on her second attempt. Wearing a heavy brace on her left knee and in visible pain, Momone Ueda somehow managed three throws. The best of them was only 50.70 m, putting her ahead of only two athletes who didn't manage any marks, but given the condition she seemed to be in Ueda's performance was one of the grittiest we've seen in Eugene.

In the women's 5000 m heats, NR holder Ririka Hironaka took the same approach as in the 10000 m, going out on PB pace in front and trying to sustain it to pick up a time qualifier spot. Hot conditions meant she faded from her opening sub-14:50 pace, but her 15:02.03 for 7th was pretty much what she needed to have a chance of going on. But in Heat 2 Nozomi Tanaka sneaked in after falling off the back of the pack with a 15:00.21 for 9th to knock Hironaka out of the final. Running in the same heat as Hironaka, Kaede Kagitani was almost a minute off her best, running only 15:53.39 for 14th.

In the men's 400 m semifinals, Julian Walsh was 6th in the SF 1 in 45.75. Fuga Sato was incrementally better in SF2 at 45.71 for 5th, but neither was close to qualifying for Friday's final. All that remains for them now is the 4x400 m relay.

© 2022 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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