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Shiojiri and Yoshimura Take National Titles - National Track and Field Championships Day 1 Highlights



As expected the senior men's 5000 m was the race of the day at the start of Japan's 107th National Track and Field Championships and 39th U20 National Championships. 10 mile WB holder Benard Koech (Kyudenko) held the pace steady at exactly 2:40/km through 3000 m, too much for NR holder Suguru Osako (GMO) who dropped out shortly after that. The pace slowed to 2:46 for the 4th km, prompting steeplechase Olympian Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) to launch a long surge, 2:33 for the last 1000 m and 60' for the last lap, that carried him to the win in 13:19.85. Indoor 5000 m NR holder Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) and Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) closed in the final 200 m but were too far back, two-time national champ Endo taking 2nd in 13:20.84 and Shimizu 3rd in a PB 13:21.18.

U20 NR holder Keita Sato (Komazawa Univ.) started conservatively and spent most of the race moving up through the field. Out of range when Endo and Shimizu went, Sato showed the influence of workouts he learned while training with OAC in March, moving up from 7th over the last 200 m to take 4th in 13:24.29. Having turned 19 in January, Sato now holds the fastest, 3rd-fastest and 6th-fastest times ever by an U20 Japanese man. Hakone Ekiden 1st Stage CR holder Yamato Yoshii (Chuo Univ.) was the 2nd collegiate finisher at 8th in 13:27.72, with Sato's teammate Mebuki Suzuki (Komazawa Univ.) the 3rd at 10th in 13:31.78. H.S. NR holder Hiroto Yoshioka (Juntendo Univ.) took 14th in 13:36.85.




Reimi Yoshimura (Cramer Japan TC) last won the women's 3000 mSC in 2019 at the start of her college career. After a few years of ups and downs she was back on top this time, leading start to finish to win in the 4th-fastest time of her career, 9:46.65. Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku) tried to reel her in over the last km but came up short, 2nd in 9:48.70. Top-ranked Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu) was the only other woman under 10 minutes, 3rd in 9:58.45.

With most of the top U20 talent like Sato and Yoshioka running in the senior races times were slower in the junior distance events. Rui Aoki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) won a very slow-starting U20 men's 5000 m in 13:59.79, Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka Univ.) winning the U20 women's title in 16:05.72 and Yuzuyu Sato (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) the top spot in the U20 women's 3000 mSC in 10:26.84.




Roderick Genki Dean (Mizuno) won a great men's javelin throw with a 82.65 m on his 5th attempt. Ryohei Arai (Suzuki) countered with his biggest throw of the night on his his final attempt, but at 80.60 m it wasn't enough to overtake Dean. Yuta Sakiyama (Ehime T&F Assoc.) was 3rd with a 78.28 m 5th attempt. World Championships quota-ranked Tatsuya Sakamoto (Throwing Labo) and Kenji Ogura (ESM) were 9th and 10th, solidifying the likely lineup of Japan's javelin squad in Budapest at Dean, Arai and Sakiyama.

In other senior event finals, Maki Saito (Tokai Univ.) won the women's discus throw in 56.63 m. Nagisa Takahashi (Masonwork) cleared 1.84 m to win the women's high jump, the only athlete to go over 1.80 m. Hikaru Ikehata (Surugadai Univ. AC) won the men's triple jump in 16.35 m +0.8 m/s.

The National Track and Field Championships and U20 National Championships continue through Sunday at Osaka's Yanmar Stadium Nagai.

107th National Track and Field Championships

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

U20 Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Yaya Kuwajima (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 46.58 m - PB
2. Umi Kawamura (Makubetsu Seiryo H.S.) - 42.31 m - PB
3. Yui Yano (Soekami H.S.) - 42.25 m

U20 Women's High Jump Final
1. Sakura Maenishi (Kinkidai Wakayama H.S.) - 1.74 m - PB
2. Nonoka Yamane (Sendai Nika H.S.) - 1.71 m
3. Mana Kariya (Osaka Kyoiku Univ.) - 1.68 m

Women's Discus Throw Final
1. Maki Saito (Tokai Univ.) - 56.63 m
2. Nanaka Kori (Niigata Albirex RC) - 53.92 m
3. Minori Tsujikawa (Uchida Yoko AC) - 52.68 m

U20 Men's Triple Jump Final
1. Koki Kanai (Juntendo Univ.) - 15.37 m +1.1 m/s
2. Ryosuke Ishii (Tsukuba Univ.) - 15.14 m -0.1 m/s - PB
3. Shota Sugano (Fukuoka Univ.) - 14.79 m -1.1 m/s

U20 Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Kota Yamada (Tokai Univ.) - 70,73 m - PB
2. Tomonori Morisawa (Tottori Nishi H.S.) - 66.05 m
3. Kosuke Seino (Tsukuba Univ.) - 65.84 m

Women's High Jump Final
1. Nagisa Takahashi (Masonwork) - 1.84 m
2. Reina Takuyama (Edison) - 1.78 m
3. Moe Takeuchi (Kanseki) - 1.78 m

U20 Women's 3000 mSC Final
1. Yuzuyu Sato (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 10:26.84
2. Rina Takeda (Tohoku Fukushi Univ.) - 10:32.47 - PB
3. Asahi Shirakawa (Otsuka H.S.) - 10:33.45
4. Saho Tomita (Kawaguchi Shiritsu H.S.) - 10:40.60 - PB
5. Hina Matsuura (Miura Gakuen H.S.) - 10:52.06

U20 Women's 5000 m Final
1. Mariya Noda (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 16:05.72
2. Sayuki Ota (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 16:06.47 - PB
3. Momoka Tsutano (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 16:13.24 - PB
4. Yura Arata (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 16:15.26 - PB
5. Ruka Suzuki (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 16:18.41
6. Ichigo Ishikawa (Josai Univ.) - 16:19.02 - PB
7. Hinano Shiroki (Josai Univ.) - 16:22.14 - PB
8. Nana Nagashima (Josai Kokusai Univ.) - 16:23.39 - PB
9. Runa Kono (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 16:34.92
10. Koharu Kaneko (Josai Univ.) - 16:39.85

Men's Triple Jump Final
1. Hikaru Ikehata (Surugadai Univ. AC) - 16.35 m +0.8 m/s
2. Riku Ito (Suzuki) - 15.84 m -0.2 m/s
3. Mutsuki Harada (Kiyokawa) - 15.67 m +0.5 m/s

U20 Men's 5000 m Final
1. Rui Aoki (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 13:59.79
2. Takumi Orihashi (Soka Univ.) - 14:04.83
3. Hiromichi Nonaka (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 14:06.73
4. Kazuki Aya (Meiji Univ.) - 14:07.74
5. Hikaru Tsujihara (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 14:14.57
6. Ibuki Yamazaki (Waseda Univ.) - 14:16.77
7. Akifumi Takimoto (Kanagawa Univ.) - 14:18.33
8. Kosei Atomura (Koku Gakuin Univ.) - 14:25.09
9. Shuto Ominato (Meiji Univ.) - 14:33.43
10. Reo Niijima (Kanagawa Univ.) - 14:41.78

Men's Javelin Throw Final
1. Roderick Genki Dean (Mizuno) - 82.65 m
2. Ryohei Arai (Suzuki) - 80.60 m
3. Yuta Sakiyama (Ehime T&F Assoc.) - 78.28 m

Women's 3000 mSC Final
1. Reimi Yoshimura (Cramer Japan TC) - 9:46.65
2. Chikako Mori (Sekisui Kagaku) - 9:48.70
3. Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu) - 9:58.45
4. Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 10:10.31
5. Mayu Kawase (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10:10.61 - PB
6. Momoa Yamada (Tamagawa Univ.) - 10:11.85 - PB
7. Ayaka Koike (F-Assist) - 10:13.74
8. Karin Akahori (Tokyo Metro) - 10:14.26
9. Yukina Hong (Tsukuba Univ. Grad School) - 10:16.32
10. Miyu Saito (Nittai Univ.) - 10:16.48

Men's 5000 m Final
1. Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) - 13:19.85
2. Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) - 13:20.84
3. Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) - 13:21.18 - PB
OP - Benard Koech (Kyudenko) - 13:24.14
4. Keita Sato (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:24.29
5. Kazuki Tamura (Sumitomo Denko) - 13:24.38
6. Kieski Shiozawa (Fujitsu) - 13:24.44
7. Hideto Kosode (Honda) - 13:25.93
8. Yamato Yoshii (Chuo Univ.) - 13:27.72
OP - Cleophas Kandie (Mitsubishi Juko) - 13:28.59
9. Ayumu Kobayashi (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:30.39
10. Mebuki Suzuki (Komazawa Univ.) - 13:31.78
-----
DNF - Suguru Osako (Nike)

© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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