Komori Corporation Wins 76th Towada Hachimantai Ekiden

After making a post-corona return last year it time for its 75th anniversary year, the Towada Hachimantai Ekiden returned this year for its 76th. Without enough teams entered the women's race was canceled, but 15 teams of 5 men each raced the 5-stage, 71.4 km race in Akita on Aug. 7.

Daichi Kimoto got the Hokuriku Corporate Select Team off to a good start with a 36-second lead on the 13.0 km First Stage, but the Komori Corporation B team's Benard Langat cut that down easily with a 36:33 CR for the the 13.0 km Second Stage, putting KCB 2:07 ahead. That didn't last, though, as the Komori Corporation A team's Antipas Kibet dropped a 46:20 CR for the 15.7 km Third Stage to put his team into the lead by 2:03. KCA's fourth runner Takuma Shibata turned that into an unbreakable 3:37 lead with a stage win, leaving anchor Yusuke Baba to bring them home for the win in 3:51:14.

The winner on the uphill Fifth Stage last year, Comodi Iida's Akihiro Kaneko did it again this year but was too far back to catch Baba, finishing 2nd overall in 3:52:41. Fujisan no Meisui was 3rd in 3:53:55 thanks to strong runs from its last two runners and former Yamanashi Gakuin University teammates Kaede Shinohara and Paul Onyiego.

76th Towada Hachimantai Ekiden

Kazuno, Akita, 7 Aug. 2023

15 teams, 5 stages, 71.4 km

complete results

Top Team Results

1. Komori Corporation A - 3:51:14

2. Comodi Iida - 3:52:41

3. Fujisan no Meisui - 3:53:55

4. Komori Corporation B - 3:57:56

5. Hokuriku Corporate Select Team - 4:01:48

Top Individual Stage Results

First Stage (13.0 km) - Daichi Kimoto (Hokuriku) - 40:36

Second Stage (13.0 km) - Benard Langat (Komori B) - 36:33 - CR

Third Stage (15.7 km) - Antipas Kibet (Komori A) - 46:20 - CR

Fourth Stage (15.9 km) - Takuma Shibata (Komori A) - 51:29

Fifth Stage (13.8 km) - Akihiro Kaneko (Comodi Iida) / Paul Onyiego (Comodi Iida) - 51:02

Japan's First Goldless Day - Asian Athletics Championships Day Four Highlights

Day 4 of the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships was the first without a single gold medal going to Japan, but there were still enough silvers and bronzes to go around. Robyn Lauren Brown of the Philippines outclassed the rest of the women's 400 mH final field, taking gold in 57.50. Eri Utsunomiya and Ami Yamamoto made it a Japanese 2-3, Utsunomiya running 57.73 for silver and Yamamoto 57.80 for bronze. Yusaku Kodama also scored silver in the men's 400 mH, running 48.96 behind Qatari winner Bassem Hemeida 's 48.64. Yuki Yamasaki won bronze in the heptathlon with 5696 points, Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina taking gold in 6098 and Swapna Barman silver in 5840. Teammate Karin Odama was 4th in 5487. Another bronze came in the mixed 4x400 m relay, with Japan running 3:15.71 behind India's 3:14.70 and Sri Lanka's 3:15.41. Naoto Hasegawa and Ryoichi Akamatsu both cleared 2.23 m in the men's high jump, Hasegawa finishing 4th overall and Akamatsu 5th. ...

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