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
Labels:

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.
November 14, 2022 at 9:22 AM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

The 2023 Hakone Ekiden Champs Komazawa University at the United Airlines NYC Half

2023 Hakone Ekiden champion Komazawa University 's 1st and 8th runners from its winning team Kensuke Tsubura  and Yuto Akahoshi were at the United Airlines NYC Half Sunday with head coach Hiroaki Oyagi and his wife Kyoko Oyagi as part of the partnership between race organizers NYRR and November's Ageo City Half Marathon set up by JRN in 2012. For both athletes it was the first time for them to ever go outside Japan. Akahoshi, a 3rd-year at Komazawa who ran his PB of 1:02:00 at Ageo last fall, lasted longer in the main pack, staying with the group that ended up filling 4th through 14th after the breakaway move up the East Side by world record holders Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda and Moroccan Zouhair Talbi . In the last 5 km he dropped back to finish 14th in 1:03:49, just behind 2022 Fukuoka International Marathon winner Maru Teferi of Israel. "My goal was to come here and try to stay with some of the best athletes in the world, so I'm pretty disap
Post a Comment
Read more

Where Japan's Paris Olympic Marathon Trials Qualification Is At

Last Sunday's Nagoya Women's Marathon was the last of the main chances for Japanese marathoners to qualify for the Oct. 15 MGC Race, the country's official marathon trials for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the trials the top 2 finishers will be named to the Olympic team, with the 3rd finisher provisionally in and the 4th and 5th placers named provisional alternates. After that it's one last turn through the winter 2023-24 season of the big domestic races where people will have the chance to steal the 3rd spot on the team and bump the 3rd-placer at the trials down to alternate. The deadline for qualifying for the trials is May 31, and there are still a few smaller domestic races like this Sunday's Tokushima Marathon and April's Nagano Marathon, and overseas races with a World Athletics elite label or better where those who haven't qualified yet can try to make a miracle happen. But for the most part, almost all the real contenders are already in. 62 men and 29
Post a Comment
Read more

Shinohara Wins National University Half Marathon, 215 Go Sub-1:06

Fresh off becoming the fastest-ever Japanese-born collegiate half marathoner with a 1:00:11 in Marugame last month, 2023 Hakone Ekiden champ Komazawa University 2nd-year Kotaro Shinohara won the National University Half Marathon Sunday in Tokyo's western suburb of Tachikawa. In warm conditions the dense lead group ran relatively conservatively, on track to go just under 63 minutes. But entering Tachikawa's Showa Kinen Park for a final 5 km of undulations and sharp turns Shinohara turned it on to pull away, winning easily in 1:02:16. Another of the pre-race favorites, sub-28 10000 m runner Reishi Yoshida of Hakone non-qualifier Chuo Gakuin University was 2nd in 1:02:29. Another Hakone non-qualifier, Tokyo Nogyo University 's Neo Namiki looked set to take 3rd. But in the last km Rei Matsunaga of Hosei University , famed for trying to run away with last year's Kanto Regionals 5000 m versus 3000 m SC NR holder Ryuji Miura , came up to pass Namiki, stealing 3rd in 1:0
1 comment
Read more