Skip to main content

Koyama Sweeps Girls' and Boys' Titles at National Junior High School Ekiden


The Kyoyama J.H.S. girls and boys won Sunday's National Junior High School Ekiden in Shiga's Kibogaoka Bunka Park, becoming only the second school in the event's 31-year history to sweep both titles. In the five-stage, 12.0 km girls' race, Kyoyama's Haruka Higuchi was 9th on the 3.0 km opening leg. Running 2.0 km each, Wakana Minami and Mei Iwasaki moved up through the field into 2nd, and with a stage-winning run Mayu Ishihara put them into the lead.

Anchoring the Kyoyama girls was National Junior High School Championships 1500 m winner Rikka Kuroda. Kuroda comes from a strong running family, with her father Masayoshi Kuroda having run the Hakone Ekiden for Hosei University, her oldest brother Asahi Kuroda having won his stage at this year's Izumo Ekiden for Aoyama Gakuin University, and her middle brother Zen Kuroda of Tamano Konan H.S. having placed 2nd in the 3000 mSC at this year's National High School Championships.

Kuroda dropped 2nd-place Osawano J.H.S. to break the finish time, where her teammates waited to celebrate the win with her. "Everyone wanted me to run anchor, and I really wanted to run anchor too," she said post-race. "Mayu had opened a lead on 2nd when she handed off to me, and I was determined to keep 1st and win."

In the six-stage, 18.0 km boys' race, Kyoyama's lead runner Ayato Tamagawa got off to a rough start in 24th. But second runner Shu Shinohara passed 13 people and third runner Takeru Tsurufuji another nine to put Kyoyama into 2nd. Fourth runner Kota Kawamoto held onto that position, and fifth runner Shoma Takei picked up one more place to put anchor Takeru Nagahara into position for the win.

On the final stage, Nagahara ran head-to-head with Kokufu J.H.S. anchor Yuto Sasaki. Entering the track for the last lap to the finish Sasaki surged and got a gap on Nagahara. But on the final corner Nagahara came back to pass Sasaki in the home straight, pulling off the win by just 1 second, a thrilling duel that gave Kyoyama the national title.

Asked about the head-to-head sprint finish post-race, Nagahara said, "I told myself that I had to win it here, this was the only chance to win. I put everything I had from the last three years into it." Head coach Takeshi Hirokawa commented, "I want to say congratulations to them from the bottom of my heart. He had me going there for a minute at the end, but Nagahara ran like the captain that he is. You could feel the captain's spirit in him."

After the Kyoyama boys won they celebrated and high fived with their girls' national champion teammates, sharing in the joy of achieving a rare double national title.

31st National Junior High School Ekiden

Kibogaoka Bunka Park, Shiga, 17 Dec. 2023
girls: 5 stages, 12.0 km
boys: 6 stages, 18.0 km

Girls Top Team Results
1. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 42:16
2. Osawano J.H.S. (Toyama) - 43:05
3. Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S. (Kagoshima) - 43:23
4. Minami Joyo J.H.S. (Kyoto) - 43:49
5. Arato J.H.S. (Gunma) - 43:50
6. Ako J.H.S. (Nagano) - 43:51
7. Takuma J.H.S. (Kumamoto) - 43:51
8. Takagawa Gakuen J.H.S. (Yamaguchi) - 44:00

Girls Stage Best Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Madoka Inai (Arato J.H.S.) - 10:18
Second Stage (2.0 km) - Kirari Takeda (Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S.) - 6:56
Third Stage (2.0 km) - Shiho Kurokawa (Osawano J.H.S.) - 6:53
Fourth Stage (2.0 km) - Mayu Ishihara (Kyoyama J.H.S.) - 6:50
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Margaret Muthoni (Kamimura Gakuen J.H.S.) - 9:52

Boys Top Team Results
1. Kyoyama J.H.S. (Okayama) - 58:03
2. Kokufu J.H.S. (Yamaguchi) - 58:04
3. Nakanoto J.H.S. (Ishikawa) - 58:24
4. Ibaraki AC J.H.S. (Osaka) - 58:37
5. Mishima J.H.S. (Tochigi) - 58:41
6. Kobayashi J.H.S. (Miyazaki) - 58:42
7. Takada J.H.S. (Oita) - 58:44
8. Sone J.H.S. (Fukuoka) - 58:58

Boys Stage Best Performances
First Stage (3.0 km) - Shusuke Kobayashi (Arato J.H.S.) - 9:19
Second Stage (3.0 km) - Rei Otoshi (Koyo J.H.S.) - 9:22
Third Stage (3.0 km) - Koki Momota (Nishi Isahaya J.H.S.) - 9:27
Fourth Stage (3.0 km) - Ado Takenoshita (Minami Joyo J.H.S.) - 9:22
Fifth Stage (3.0 km) - Taiga Tokunaga (Yasuhiro J.H.S.) - 9:32
Sixth Stage (3.0 km) - Hakuga Deguchi (Senju Sakura Tsutsumi J.H.S.) - 9:17


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Federation Tells World Championships Marathoner Horibata To Go On Diet

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20110307-OHT1T00258.htm translated by Brett Larner Having made the 2011 World Championships marathon team by running a PB of 2:09:25 to come in 3rd overall and as the top Japanese finisher at the Mar. 6 Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Hiroyuki Horibata (24, Team Asahi Kasei), talked to the media at Osaka Airport on Mar. 7. Following Sunday's race Rikuren director Keisuke Sawaki , 67, told Horibata, "Let's cut things down a bit until the World Championships," directing him to go on a diet. The 189 cm Horibata weighs 72 kg [~6'3", 160 lbs]. When he joined Team Asahi Kasei in 2005 at age 18 he weighed 65 kg, and this weight is still generally listed on his profile at races and in the media. "For some reason it never changes," he said with a grin. His coach Takeshi Soh , 58, commented, "If he was hungrier for glory his world would change completely," slapping the 'heavyweight division runner...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nagoya Asian Games Test Event Canceled After Insulation Falls From Venue Ceiling

A section of insulation material fell from the ceiling of Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, the official venue for squash competition at September's Nagoya Asian Games. There were no injuries, but the city suspended use of the arena until its safety could be guaranteed, resulting in the cancelation of the Asian Games squash test event which was scheduled to have begun on May 14. It is not yet clear whether the arena will be usable for the Asian Games as planned. According to city officials, arena staff found that the insulation material had fallen onto a work walkway 13 m above the ground on the night of May 11. The fallen material was 3.6 m long, 50 cm wide and 2.5 km thick, and was found to be waterlogged. The cause of the accident is unknown, but it is possible that it was caused by rainwater leaking in from the roof. The same insulation material is installed across the entire ceiling, and the city plans to check for the extent of the possible flooding. Asked whether the arena will be re...
Post a Comment
Read more

Everything You Need to Know About the 2026 Hakone Ekiden

The Hakone Ekiden is the world's biggest road race, 2 days of road relay action with Japan's 20 best university teams racing 10 half marathon-scale legs from central Tokyo to the mountains east of Mount Fuji and back. The level just keeps going higher and higher , hitting the point this year where there are teams with 10-runner averages of 13:33.10 for 5000 m, 27:55.98 for 10000 m, and 1:01:20 for the half marathon. It's never been better, and with great weather in the forecast it's safe to say this could be one of the best races in Hakone's 102-year history, especially on Day One. If you've seen it then you know NTV's live broadcast is the best sports broadcast in the world, with the pre-race show kicking off at 7:00 a.m. Japan time on the 2nd and 3rd and the race starting at 8:00 a.m. sharp. If you've got a VPN you should be able to watch it on TVer starting at 7:50 a.m. on the 2nd , and again at 7:50 a.m. on the 3rd . There's even a 2-hour high...
3 comments
Read more