Opposite the Hangzhou Asian Games and World Road Running Championships, the Continental Tour Bronze Yogibo Athletics Challenge Cup meet took place this weekend in Niigata.
The highlight on Saturday came in its last race, the men’s 5000 m A-heat, where 20-year-old Shunsuke Yoshii, a 2nd-year at Hakone Ekiden runner-up Chuo University, ran 13:22.01 for the win after getting quality pacing almost the entire way from pacer Amos Bett (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.). Chuo 4th-year Shota Nakano was 2nd in 13:28.04 and Yusuke Tamura (Kurosaki Harima) 3rd in 13:29.12. Combined with their older brothers Yamato Yoshii and Kazuki Tamura, Yoshii and Tamura now stand as the fastest and 3rd-fastest brothers over 5000 m in Japanese history.
Margaret Akidor (Comodi Iida) handled pacing work in the women’s 5000 m, where Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) was the last one left standing at Akidor’s pace with a 15:36.47 for the win. 2nd-placer Yuna Takahashi ran 15:42.37, with 3rd and 4th-place Mikuni Yada (Edion) and Chika Kosakai (Japan Post) just under 15:45.
Yuri Nishida (Kusatsu Higashi H.S.) took the women’s 800 m A-heat in 2:04.15 over a field of corporate league and college athletes, Kaishi Kitamura (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) scoring the men’s 800 m win in 1:47.75.
Sunday featured a fuller program on the track and in the field. Miku Takino (Kyoto Tachibana H.S.) became the first high schooler under 57 seconds in the women's 400 mH, winning the A-heat in a new H.S. NR of 56.90. Ken Toyoda (Keio Univ.) had a stellar run in the men's 400 mH B-heat, winning in 48.47, the 4th-best collegiate time ever, and faster than A-heat winner Kaito Tsutsue's 48.77.
2023 World Cross Country Championships mixed relay gold medalist Mirriam Cherop (Shin Nihon Jusetsu) made her Japanese debut with a win in the 1500 m, just off her PB in 4:07.62 but opening almost 4 seconds on Tomoka Kimura (Sekisui Kagaku) over the last lap. "It was very easy," she told JRN post-race. "Next time, 4:03." Yudai Noguchi (Toenec) took the men's race in 3:42.95.
With Yoshihide Kiryu and Yuki Koike racing in Hangzhou, most of the rest of the older guard in Japanese men's sprinting ran well in Niigata. Shota Iizuka (Mizuno) took the 200 m final in 20.42 (-0.0), with Shuhei Tada (Sumitomo Denko) winning the 100 m final in 10.24 (+0.1). NR holder Ryota Yamagata (Seiko) ran only 10.34 for 4th after clocking 10.31 (+0.7) in his qualifying heat.
In the 400 m, Joseph Nakajima (Toyo Univ.) came up short of joining the sub-45 club, just off his 45.04 best from Budapest with a 45.12 for the win by almost a second over Rikuya Ito (Sumitomo Denko). Haruna Kuboyama (Imamura Byoin) won the women's race in 54.00.
On the field, last year's women's discus throw winner Jade Lally was back to win again after getting screwed over by UK Athletics in Budapest World Championships team selection. Lally's 3rd attempt of 58.53 m was enough for the win over local hero Nanaka Kori (Niigata Albirex RC), who closed with a 55.20 m throw for 2nd.
Petra Sicakova, a longtime training partner of women's javelin throw world champion Haruka Kitaguchi and Czech national champion, almost got the win with a final throw just off her PB at 59.64 m, moving up from 5th to overtake longtime leader Yuka Sato (Niconiconori) for 1st. But it didn't last long, as Sato closed with a 60.37 m comeback to take the win and knock Sicakova back to 2nd. Momone Ueda (Zenrin) was 3rd at 58.81 m. Rin Suzuki (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) won the men's javelin with a final throw of 77.49 m.
Yuto Seko (Shiga T&F Assoc.) won the men's high jump as the only man to clear 2.24 m, beating Budapest team member Naoto Hasegawa (Niigata Albirex RC) and NR holder Naoto Tobe (JAL). Yuto Toriumi (Nihon Univ.) had a solid last two jumps in the men's long jump, going 7.96 m (+0.6) and 7.97 m (+1.1) to win over Daiki Oda (Yamada Holdings), 2nd at 7.84 m (+0.7). Ayaka Kora (JAL) won the women's long jump with her 6.34 m (+1.1) opening attempt.
© 2023 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
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