Mashiko 8:11.12 JHS 3000 m NR - Long Weekend Track Highlights

Ekiden season got up to full speed this weekend, but there was still a healthy chunk of track action across the country. The main event was the National Sports Festival Thursday through Monday in Tochigi. In the junior men's 3000 m Rui Suzuki (Yachiyo Shoin H.S.) ran 8:01.26 for the win, the 3rd-fastest time ever by a Japanese high schooler. Yamato Hamaguchi (Saku Chosei H.S.) was 2nd in 8:07.66, but the biggest news was 3rd-placer Yota Mashiko, a 9th-grader at Fukushima's Kagamiishii J.H.S. Already the junior high school 3000 m NR holder after running 8:15.04 in August, Mashiko chopped 4 seconds off that mark with a new 8:11.12 NR.

The junior men's 5000 m was also fast, with the top 8 all breaking 14 minutes and the top 14 under 14:10, all high schoolers. Hiroto Yoshioka (Saku Chosei H.S.) took the top spot in 13:53.85, Sonota Nagashima (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) 2nd in 13:54.80 and Yoshihiro Kusuoka (Keisei H.S.) 3rd in 13:55.84.

In the junior women's 3000 m Caroline Kariba (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) won in 8:56.79, the only athlete under 9 minutes. 2022 World U20 Championships 1500 m 6th-placer Yuya Sawada (Hamamatsu Shiritsu H.S.) was 2nd in 9:14.70 just off her PB, with Kana Mizumoto (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) 3rd in 9:15.54.

National University Women's Ekiden champion Meijo University's Yuma Yamamoto broke the senior women's 5000 m meet record with a PB 15:16.71, beating NR holder Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) by over 6 seconds. Her teammate Narumi Kobayashi continued to struggle in her comeback from a coronavirus infection that kept her off the 2022 World Championships 10000 m squad, running only 15:58.21 for 8th.

At the Chubu Region Corporate Track and Field Championships in Gifu the main result was in the men's 10000 m, where Emmanuel Maru (Toyota Boshoku) ran a PB 27:33.67 for the win, 7 seconds up on Evans Keitany (Toyota Boshoku) and 9 on Bedan Karoki (Toyota). Minato Oishi (Toyota) was the only Japanese man under 28 minutes, running 27:57.32 for 6th. 8 men total went under 28 minutes.

Tokai University didn't make it to Monday's Izumo Ekiden, instead holding a home track time trials meet. Shota Shimazaki (Kanagawa Univ.) won a 3-way sprint finish over corporate leaguers Jinnosuke Matsumura (Comodi Iida) and Ryoma Takeuchi (ND Software) in the men's 10000 m, taking 1st in 28:58.70 with Matsumura 2nd in 28:59.76 and Takeuchi 3rd in 29:00.95. Newcomer Timothy Kibet (Makes) won the men's 3000 in 8:03.73.

In Izumo, alternates from the ekiden ran a track 5000 m time trial as part of a local meet. Leakey Kamina (Soka Univ.) took the top spot in 14:00.43, with ekiden winner Komazawa University alts Kensuke Tsuburan and Takuma Yamakawa 2nd and 3rd in 14:04.61 and 14:10.20.

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...

Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...

Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...

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