Japan had never had an athlete make the finals of the Diamond League before, but this year two of its biggest talents under 25 were at the Weltklasse Zurich meet, women's javelin throw national record holder Haruka Kitaguchi, 24, and men's 3000 m SC NR holder Ryuji Miura, 20.
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Kitaguchi, a graduate of Nihon University now sponsored by JAL, was riding the momentum of a season that saw her become Japan's first-ever winner at a Diamond League when she won in Paris, then take bronze at the Oregon World Championships, then take another Diamond League victory in Chorzow with her biggest throw of the year, 65.10 m. In Zurich she moved into 3rd with a second throw of 60.51 m, bettering that with a 63.35 m on her next throw, and closing with a 63.56 m that came just 0.16 m of 2nd-place Kelsey-Lee Barber of Australia. American Kara Winger won with a fifth throw of 64.98 m.
Miura, still a student at Juntendo University, was the only runner in the steeplechase final not from Ethiopia, Kenya or Morocco. He spent time this year working on tactics and specific elements of his running, including dropping the second-fastest 1500 m time ever by a Japanese man, 3:36.59, but in the steeplechase had trouble coming up with the kind of brilliance he showed in the qualifying round at the Tokyo Olympics last year where he ran the NR of 8:09.92. A 4th-place in 8:13.06 in Lausanne two weeks ago showed that things were back on track, and in Zurich Miura followed that up with another 4th-place, this one in a 8:12.65 SB just over 5 seconds off Moroccan winner Soufiane El Bakkali.
Skipping this weekend's National University Track and Field Championships where he is entered in the 3000 m SC, Miura's focus now shifts to road season at the October 10 Izumo Ekiden, where Juntendo last won in 2002.
Comments
Somehow he was Flying in April and May, his final laps were amazing and It seems he wasnt even trying.
From June he declined and in multiple races his final k were slow or with no change of rhythm. Oregon was his worst, he is running Better now (he ran the same exact race in Lausanne and Zurich with a good final kick).
Lets Hope they build from this cause in April/May he easily had 1500 and 3000sc NR in his legs.
Weird situation as endo had the same issues as Miura this season.