Skip to main content

Akidor 14:44.83, Yoshioka 13:22.99 High School 5000 m NR at Nittai University Time Trials


This weekend's 300th edition of the Nittai University Time Trials series in Yokohama turned out some of the fastest times in its history as athletes across the country build toward peaking for championship ekiden season. On Saturday Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) ran two of the fastest women's 5000 m marks ever on Japanese soil, Akidor taking 11 seconds off her PB to win in 14:44.83 and Kamau 6 seconds off hers for 2nd in 14:48.26. 3rd-place Yui Komatsu (Matsuyama Univ.) was almost lapped, running 15:47.79. Steeplechase champ Reimi Yoshimura (Daito Bunka Univ.) dropped out mid-race.

The men's 10000 m was fast too. Richard Etir (CJAC) outkicked Obirin University 1st-year Nelson Mandela Mbithi and Josphat Ledama Kisaisa (Kao) for the win in 27:27.51, Mbithi 2nd in 27:29.92, one of the fastest-ever Japanese collegiate times, and Kisaisa 3rd in 27:30.45. 4th-placer Boniface Murua (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) got under 28 minutes as well, running 27:43.60.


Sunday Nittai had 27 consecutive heats of men's 5000 m, with the last two heats producing four high school runners under 14 minutes. Anthony Maina (Toyota Kyushu) led the A-heat in 13:21.58, just edging Joseph Razini Lemeteki (Takushoku Univ.) by 0.41 seconds. Just behind them, Hiroto Yoshioka (Saku Chosei H.S.), 7th in this past summer's World U20 Championships 5000 m, took 16 seconds off his best with a 13:22.99 to break the high school boys' NR by 8 seconds. For comparison, Galen Rupp's U.S. high school NR is 13:37.91. Post-race Yoshioka announced that he will head to Juntendo University in the spring, where he'll train alongside 3000 mSC NR holder Ryuji Miura.

Johnson Mogeni (Shigakkan H.S.) ran 13:35.39 for 8th, with Yoshioka's teammate Soma Nagahara turning in a 13:57.15 for 13th. In the B-heat, Jun Tanaka (Josai Nishi H.S.) ran 13:59.46 for 6th, Hayate Nitta (Ikuei H.S.) taking the top spot in 13:54.48.

© 2022 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Rigajags said…
Intense weekend at time trials and some impressive times.
Yoshioka ran a fantastic time. Very interesting news him joining Juntendo next year.
It will likely be a year "too late" as Juntendo core runners not named Miura are 4th years and will be difficult to replace all of those.

I hope he gets to improve and not strugge like another HS great (Ishida) Is doing.
And i Hope Juntendo does a better job with him than it's doing with Miura whose talent hasn't been maximized in my opinion.

We should probably take a breath of relief that komazawa hasn't signed yoshioka up as well otherwise the roster talent would have been even more unfair haha.
Here is hoping to some great yoshioka/Sato battles in the future.

Most-Read This Week

Australian YouTuber Handed Lifetime Ban by Ageo City Half Marathon After Running 1:06 with Another Runner's Bib (updated)

After discussion with their race's chief JAAF referee, on Nov. 27 the organizers of the Ageo City Half Marathon handed down a lifetime ban from their event against 36-year-old Australian Matt Inglis Fox  for running the Nov. 15 race wearing the bib number of another JAAF-registered runner. The incident came to light after Fox posted on his personal Instagram account that he had run a PB of 1:06:33 and finished 203rd in Ageo with a 10 km split of 31:03, along with photos and video of himself in the race wearing a bib number beginning with 11. Fox did not appear in the results by name or in that time or place, the closest match being a 1:06:54 gross, 1:06:50 net finish time with a 31:21 10 km split for 18th place in the JAAF-registered division and 209th overall by bib number 1129, registered to a non-Japanese Tokyo-resident club runner. The club runner, Harrisson Uk , readily confirmed that he had given his bib to Fox, saying, "I gave my number to Matt. It wasn't me."

Fukube Breaks 100 mH NR at All-Star Night Games - Japan's Olympians Make Final Tune-Ups

Getting stuck in the shinkansen cancelation headaches yesterday means we're a day late getting to the weekend's track roundup, but better late than never. At the top of the list, women's 100 mH national record holder Mako Fukube (NKK) took 0.04 off her own record to win in 12.69 (+1.2) at the All-Star Night Games in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa in her last race before the Paris Olympics. Other Paris team members won their races too: 4x400 m squad member Takuho Yoshizu (GK Line) took the win in the men's 400 m in 45.89. Men's 400 m hurdler Daiki Ogawa (Toyo Univ.) set a meet record 49.09 for the win. Sumire Hata (Sumitomo Denko) set a women's long jump MR of 6.61 m (+0.8). Marina Saito (Suzuki) and Momone Ueda (Zenrin) both threw over the old MR held by world champion and Paris teammate Haruka Kitaguchi , Saito getting the win with a final attempt of 58.45 m, Ueda next at 57.93 m and 3rd-placer Yuki Yamamoto (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) also going over the old MR at 57

Police Arrest 20-Year-Old Man Charged With Assaulting Female Runner at Popular Tokyo Running Spot

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a female runner along the banks of the Tama River in Ota Ward, Tokyo. "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go for a walk and move my body a bit," the man told police. Local resident Hirai Muroyama , 20, of no known occupation, was arrested on charges of sexual assault. He is accused of acts including grabbing the breasts of a woman in her 20s at around 10 p.m. on May 31 along the banks of the Tama River. According to police, the woman was taking a break in her run when Muroyama approached her silently from behind and grabbed her breasts before running away. Under police interrogation Muroyama told investigators, "I've been stuck at home because of the coronavirus, so I wanted to go out for a walk and move my body. I'd had a few drinks and was feeling pretty hype. She was totally my type." source article: https://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newsey