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Kawamura Breaks 1500 m MR - National Track and Field Championships Day 2 Highlights



Heavy rain in Osaka on the leading edge of a passing typhoon meant most of the field events on the day 2 program at the 107th National Track and Field Championships and 39th U20 National Championships got bumped to the morning of day 3, but on the track men's 1500 m NR holder Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) dropped a meet record to win the best race of the day.

One of five men on the start list with bests under 3:40, Kawamura held off a surprise challenge from Yusuke Takahashi (Hokkaido Univ. Grad School) and #2-ranked Keisuke Morita (Subaru) to take the national title in 3:38.45, breaking the ancient 1991-era National Championships meet record by 0.39. It was a close enough finish that both Takahashi and Morita made it under the MR too, Takahashi in a PB 3:38.69 and Morita in 3:38.75. 4th-placer Masato Saiki (Fujisannomeisui) went under 3:40 for the first time in 3:39.58. Just about the only ones to underperform were the two World Championships quota-ranked athletes in the field, Ryoji Tatezawa (DeNA), 3:40.38 for 5th, and Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC), 3:44.00 for 7th.

The women's 1500 m was less dynamic, with NR holder Nozomi Tanaka (New Balance) turning in a perfunctory 4:08.29 to win a 4th-straight title by almost 10 seconds. The high-potential Yuya Sawada (Hamamatsu Shiritsu H.S.) couldn't put it together in the final, finishing 10th of 12 in 4:22.82.




Dynamism wasn't a problem in the men's 3000 m steeplechase final, where NR holder Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) took the national title in 8:21.41. Behind him, Seiya Sunada (Press Kogyo) turned in an out-of-nowhere 10-second PB for 2nd in 8:26.36, the 10th-best ever by a Japanese man. World quota-ranked Atsushi Shobu (Waseda Univ.) improved his standing with a PB 8:28.16 for 3rd, like Sunada a 10-second jump in his performance. National team regular Ryoma Aoki (Honda) had a disappointing day, running only 8:37.39 for 7th.




Another breakthrough came in the men's 200 m final. Already the top-ranked Japanese man in the 200 m Worlds quota, Towa Uzawa (Tsukuba Univ.) took another step forward with a 20.32 PB for the win into a -0.2 m/s headwind. Shoto Uno (Juntendo Univ.) was 2nd in 20.55 and Soshi Mizukubo (DIS) 3rd in 20.66, but like in the 1500 m the 2nd and 3rd-best quota-ranked men finished further down the field. Veteran Shota Iizuka (Mizuno) was 5th in 20.84, and fastest entrant Koki Ueyama (Sumitomo Denko) taking only 7th in 20.94.

In other senior event finals, #2-ranked Haruna Kuboyama (Imamura Byoin) took the women's 400 m in 53.19, and favorite Arisa Kimishima (DKS) won the women's 100 m in 11.59 - 0.1 m/s. Only two field event finals managed to go ahead as scheduled. In the women's javelin throw Marina Saito (Suzuki) scored an upset win over NR holder Haruka Kitaguchi (JAL), throwing 61.14 m to Kitaguchi's 59.92. Momone Ueda (Zenrin) out-threw Worlds quota-ranked Mahiro Osa (Kokushikan Univ. AC) for 3rd, 58.77 m to 57.28 m. Men's discus throw NR holder Yuji Tsutsumi (Alsok Gunma) won with a 57.98 m throw on his first attempt.

The National Championships continue through Sunday, with the rain expected to stop midday Saturday.

107th National Track and Field Championships

Day Two Highlights
Yanmar Stadium Nagai, Osaka, 1 June 2023

Men's Discus Throw Final
1. Yuji Tsutsumi (Alsok Gunma) - 57.98 m
2. Masateru Yugami (Toyota) - 56.78 m
3. Shinichi Yukinaga (Shikoku Univ. AC) - 54.77 m

U20 Women's 400 m Final
1. Yuzuki Nakao (Sonoda Joshi Gakuen Univ.) - 55.22
2. Ririka Miyachi (Shiritsu Funabashi H.S.) - 55.55
3. Miu Tanaka (Otsuka H.S.) - 56.31

U20 Women's 1500 m Final
1. Michi Kawanishi (Jiyugaoka H.S.) - 4:25.08
2. Koharu Chugo (Shiritsu Funabashi H.S.) - 4:25.56
3. Airi Tajima (Juntendo Univ.) - 4:25.65
4. Miku Matsumoto (Suzuka H.S.) - 4:25.67
5. Miu Suzuki (Juten H.S.) - 4:26.19

U20 Men's 1500 m Final
1. Hayato Oguma (Tokyo Jitsugyo H.S.) - 3:47.34 - PB
2. Haruto Takada (Rikkyo Univ.) - 3:47.58 - PB
3. Koki Terada (Koku Gakuin Kugayama H.S.) - 3:47.68 - PB
4. Nagi Miyamoto (Josai Univ.) - 3:48.13 - PB
5. Naoki Yoshikura (Waseda Jitsugyo H.S.) - 3:48.26 - PB

U20 Men's 3000 mSC Final
1. Daichi Shibata (Chuo Univ.) - 8:55.30 - PB
2. Oju Tsujimoto (Hamamatsu Kaiseikan H.S.) - 8:55.64
3. Zen Kuroda (Tamano Konan H.S.) - 8:57.50 - PB
4. Hinata Yuda (Hosei Univ.) - 9:01.88
5. Daigo Yajima (Tokyo Nogyo Daini H.S.) - 8:02.65 - PB

U20 Women's 100 m Final +0.2 m/s
1. Anju Chiba (Tokiwagi Gakuen. H.S.) - 11.86 - PB
2. Yuri Sano (Shizuoka Shiritsu H.S,) - 11.88
3. Yuzuha Shimada (Kanko Gakuseifuku) - 11.90

U20 Men's 200 m Final +0.2 m/s
1. Kei Wakana (Sano H.S.) - 21.18
2. Takeru Shimizu (Nihon Univ.) - 21.19
3. Yuta Mukai (Chukyo H.S.) - 21.35 

Women's Javelin Throw Final
1. Marina Saito (Suzuki) - 61.14 m
2. Haruka Kitaguchi (JAL) - 59.92 m
3. Momone Ueda (Zenrin) - 58.77 m
4. Mahiro Osa (Kokushikan Univ. AC) - 57.28 m

Women's 400 m Final
1. Haruna Kuboyama (Imamura Byoin) - 53.19
2. Yuzuki Kojima (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 53.99 - PB
3. Marin Adachi (Sonoda Gakuen Joshi Univ.) - 54.05
4. Nanako Matsumoto (Toho Ginko) - 54.43
5. Yuna Iwata (Suzuki) - 54.48

Men's 1500 m Final
1. Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) - 3:38.45 - MR
2. Yusuke Takahashi (Hokkaido Univ. Grad School) - 3:38.69 - PB (MR)
3. Keisuke Morita (Subaru) - 3:38.75 (MR)
4. Masato Saiki (Fujisannomeisui) - 3:39.58 - PB
5. Ryoji Tatezawa (DeNA) - 3:40.38
6. Yudai Noguchi (Toenec) - 3:41.15
7. Rikuto Iijima (Ami AC) - 3:44.00
8. Hiroto Takamura (Nittai Univ.) - 3:44.22
9. Koo Kobayashi (Shindengen) - 3:45.41
10. Tomoki Ichimura (Sunbelx) - 3:48.02
11. Naoto Katayama (Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 3:49.03
12. Tomoki Nakano (Chuo Univ.) - 3:54.48

Men's 3000 mSC Final
1. Ryuji Miura (Juntendo Univ.) - 8:21.41
2. Seiya Sunada (Press Kogyo) - 8:26.36 - PB
3. Atsushi Shobu (Waseda Univ.) - 8:28.16 - PB
4. Hibiki Obara (Aoyama Gakuin Univ.) - 8:32.05
5. Hironori Tsuetaki (Fujitsu) - 8:32.41
6. Yutaro Niinae (Aisan Kogyo) - 8:34.92 - PB
7. Ryoma Aoki (Honda) - 8:37.39
8. Seiya Shigeno (Press Kogyo) - 8:37.97
9. Aoi Matsumoto (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:41.68
10. Yuki Murao (Juntendo Univ.) - 8:43.32

Men's 200 m Final -0.2 m/s
1. Towa Uzawa (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.32 - PB
2. Shoto Uno (Juntendo Univ.) - 20.55
3. Soshi Mizukubo (DIS) - 20.66
4. Kotaro Ito (Tokyo Gas Ecomo) - 20.82
5. Shota Iizuka (Mizuno) - 20.84
6. Yudai Nishi (Waseda Univ.) - 20.92
7. Koki Ueyama (Sumitomo Denko) - 20.94
8. Takuma Hayashi (Nittai Univ. Grad School) - 21.00

Women's 100 m Final -0.1 m/s
1. Arisa Kimishima (DKS) - 11.59
2. Midori Mikasa (Sumitomo Denko) - 11.66
3. Miu Kurashige (Konan Univ.) - 11.72
4. Remi Tsuruta (Minami Kyushu Family Mart) - 11.77
5. Yuna Miura (Tsukuba Univ.) - 11.84
6. Shuri Aono (ND Soft) - 11.87
7. Sayako Matsumoto (77 Ginko) - 11.96
8. Haruka Taji (Chuo Univ.) - 11.96
 
Women's 1500 m Final
1. Nozomi Tanaka (New Balance) - 4:08.29
2. Yume Goto (Uniqlo) - 4:17.66
3. Sora Shinozakura (Panasonic) - 4:18.02
4. Ayano Ide (Wacoal) - 4:18.51
5. Haruko Hosaka (Nittai Univ.) - 4:18.76
6. Maki Izumida (Daiichi Seimei) - 4:19.76
7. Mizuki Michishita (Rikkyo Univ.) - 4:19.83
8. Saki Katagihara (Tsukuba Univ.) - 4:21.01
9. Akane Yabushita (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:21.11
10. Yuya Sawada (Hamamatsu Shiritsu H.S.) - 4:22.82
11. Yuno Yamanaka (Ehime Ginko) - 4:26.25
12. Runa Shoji (Kantaiheiyo Univ.) - 4:27.38

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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