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Tokai Wins National University Ekiden Kanto Region Qualifier


With the Kanto Region being the heavy draw for top high school talent thanks to the Hakone Ekiden, it's not a surprise that its schools dominate the national-level university ekidens. Out of 25 universities and two select teams from across the country at last November's National University Ekiden, Kanto Region teams took the top 14 spots, with only Kokushikan University beaten by the National University Select Team which included some Kanto Region runners. The top eight there, Komazawa University, Aoyama Gakuin University, Koku Gakuin University, Chuo University, Josai University, Soka University, Daito Bunka University and Tokyo Kokusai University, auto-qualified for the 2024 Nationals race, with the rest having to run today's qualifying race to make it back.

The qualifying race was made up of four heats of 10000 m on the track at Kanagawa's Sagamihara Gion Stadium, each heat with two runners from each of the 20 schools competing, each team scored on the total time of its eight runners, and the seven fastest teams going on to Nationals. Tokai University had a good team performance, none of its runners placing better than 5th in their races but the team moving into 1st overall after Heat 2 and staying there the rest of the way. Toyo University came out strong, its runners winning the first three heats led by another great run from former H.S. 5000 m NR holder Kosuke Ishida in Heat 3. In the end Toyo was only 9 seconds behind Tokai on total time for 2nd. Waseda University was another 13 seconds back for 3rd, 2024 national XC champion Tomonori Yamaguchi out-kicking sub-28 man Reishi Yoshida of Chuo Gakuin University to take the top Japanese spot in Heat 4.

Nittai University had an even team performance too, 3rd after Heat 1 and 4th through the next three heats, returning to Nationals after missing out last year. In its first season under new head coach Yusuke Takabayashi, Rikkyo University was a surprise in 5th, its chances getting a major lift when Kotaro Hayashi and Hiroto Kuniyasu went 2-3 behind Ishida in Heat 3. It was the first time qualifying for Nationals in school history. The always-stable Teikyo University was 6th, pulling it off with only runner, Hiroki Yamanaka in Heat 3, making the top 10 across all four heats.


Heat 4's biggest drama was down at the cutoff line for qualifying, with only 2 seconds separating Meiji University and Kanagawa University at the start of the final race. Kanagawa's Reo Niizuma dropped off the main group mid-race, but both Meiji runners Sosuke Hori and Hibiki Kikkawa did the same a few laps later. It was up to Kanagawa's Haruto Miyamoto to open as much ground on Hori and Kikkawa as he could, and he executed an almost great race, moving up through the main pack and kicking hard to drop them in the home straight. The only problem was that he had miscounted laps, and after slowing to a post-finish line jog realized it wasn't over. Over the final lap he lost out to most of the main pack, finishing 17th in 29:04.01. Meiji's Hori finished in 29:32.12 with Kikkawa next in 29:44.97. Miyamoto had to finish within 30:10 for Kanagawa to score the 7th qualifying position, and he pulled that off easily with a 29:54.95 to send his team back to Nationals after not getting there last year.

Meiji was the top non-qualifier, with Nihon University and Yamanashi Gakuin University 9th and 10th despite YGU's James Mutuku and Nihon's Shadrack Kipkemoi taking the top two individual places in Heat 4. None of the eight teams with Kenyans in the field of 20 qualified, mirroring the results at Nationals itself last year where the top four had all-Japanese lineups and the next four had Kenyans. YGU, Juntendo University and Kokushikan University all failed to re-qualify this year, replaced at Nationals by Nittai, Rikkyo and Kanagawa. Hosei University had been a contender to qualify, but it was shot down in Heat 3 when Ikuto Shimizu suffered a bad fall at the start that did enough damage for him to drop out mid-race. Just like in an ekiden the performances of all eight runners count, so even a single DNF eliminates the whole team.

56th National University Men's Ekiden Kanto Region Qualifier

Sagamihara Gion Stadium, Kanagawa, 23 June 2024
teams scored on combined times of all eight finishers
top 7 teams qualify for National University Ekiden

Team Results 
1. Tokai University - 3:55:28.21
2. Toyo University - 3:55:37.45
3. Waseda University - 3:55:50.18
4. Nittai University - 3:55:55.62
5. Rikkyo University - 3:56:19.26
6. Teikyo University - 3:56:45.83
7. Kanagawa University - 3:57:33.67
-----
8. Meiji University - 3:57:49.31
9. Nihon University - 3:58:33.67
10. Yamanashi Gakuin University - 3:59:04.04
11. Chuo University - 3:59:13.74
12. Surugadai University - 4:00:47.51
13. Reitaku University - 4:00:54.17
14. Tokyo Nogyo University - 4:01:21.18
15. Kokushikan University - 4:01:54.41
16. Senshu University - 4:02:41.42
17. Juntendo University - 4:03:18.86
18. Ryutsu Keizai University - 4:05:15.55
19. Asia University - 4:09:22.09
DNF - Hosei University

Heat 1
1. Kaito Matsui (Toyo Univ.) - 29:25.69
2. Goki Higashihara (Meiji Univ.) - 29:28.79
3. Akifumi Takimoto (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:29.70 - PB
4. Shunsuke Tajima (Nittai Univ.) - 29:31.62
5. Shu Nagamoto (Tokai Univ.) - 29:31.70
6. Keisuke Ando (Rikkyo Univ.) - 29:33.00
7. Ren Oiwa (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:33.32
8. Daiki Murakami (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 29:35.16
9. Ren Yamaguchi (Nittai Univ.) - 29:35.70
10. Takanobu Igarashi (Tokai Univ.) - 29:35.83

Heat 2
1. Keigo Amimoto (Toyo Univ.) - 29:50.85
2. Makoto Takewari (Tokai Univ.) - 29:53.19
3. Haruto Ishizuka (Waseda Univ.) - 29:53.21
4. Yu Miyazaki (Toyo Univ.) - 29:53.97
5. Aoi Higaki (Tokai Univ.) - 29:59.19
6. Takanori Wakesu (Nittai Univ.) - 29:59.81
7. Anju Murota (Meiji Univ.) - 30:04.23
8. Ryosuke Nakanishi (Kanagawa Univ.) - 30:04.33
9. Shun Sakamoto (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 30:04.37
10. Koei Yahara (Hosei Univ.) - 30:05.59

Heat 3
1. Kosuke Ishida (Toyo Univ.) - 28:58.11
2. Kotaro Hayashi (Rikkyo Univ.) - 29:04.32
3. Hiroto Kuniyasu (Rikkyo Univ.) - 29:04.86
4. Hiroki Yamanaka (Teikyo Univ.) - 29:08.74
5. Hiroto Yoshioka (Juntendo Univ.) - 29:08.74
6. Sorachi Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 29:10.15
7. Shunpei Yamaguchi (Waseda Univ.) - 29:11.26 - PB
8. Kazuki Uragami (Nittai Univ.) - 29:11.28 - PB
9. Taishi Ito (Waseda Univ.) - 29:11.72
10. Manato Takata (Nihon Univ.) - 29:12.19 - PB
11. Yuto Kajitani (Tokai Univ.) - 29:15.69
12. Hiro Konda (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 29:17.63
13. Kota Nakajima (Kokushikan Univ.) - 29:18.40
14. Kazuki Aya (Meiji Univ.) - 29:22.91
15. Yudai Hara (Teikyo Univ.) - 29:24.26
16. Shotaro Futamura (Nittai Univ.) - 29:27.26
-----
DNF - Ikuto Shimizu (Hosei Univ.)

Heat 4
1. James Mutuku (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) - 28:08.12
2. Shadrack Kipkemoi (Nihon Univ.) - 28:25.28
3. Johnson Mogeni (Asia Univ.) - 28:33.00
4. Tomonori Yamaguchi (Waseda Univ.) - 28:36.15
5. Reishi Yoshida (Chuo Gakuin Univ.) - 28:36.32
6. Stephen Lemaiyan (Surugadai Univ.) - 28:39.86
7. David Shunqeya (Reitaku Univ.) - 28:44.70
8. Ryota Kobayashi (Toyo Univ.) - 28:54.89
9. Ryuto Hirashima (Nihon Univ.) - 28:56.14
10. Kazuma Takeda (Hosei Univ.) - 28:57.70 - PB
11. Ren Umezaki (Toyo Univ.) - 28:58.71
12. Judah Hyodo (Tokai Univ.) - 28:59.42
13. Tasuku Yamazaki (Nittai Univ.) - 28:59.96
14. Akito Noda (Hosei. Univ.) - 29:01.28
15. Peter Kamau (Kokushikan Univ.) - 29:01.88
16. Hisaya Hanaoka (Tokai Univ.) - 29:03.04
17. Haruto Miyamoto (Kanagawa Univ.) - 29:04.01
18. Shota Fukushima (Teikyo Univ.) - 29:05.15
19. Shinsaku Kudo (Waseda Univ.) - 29:07.55
20. Kento Baba (Rikkyo Univ.) - 29:09.48
21. Teruki Shimada (Teikyo Univ.) - 29:11.28
22. Ryu Hasegawa (Ryutsu Keizai Univ.) - 29:15.16
23. Taiga Tosen (Surugadai Univ.) - 29:15.99
24. Yosuke Harada (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 29:18.90
25. Yu Fukahori (Tokyo Nogyo Univ.) - 29:23.43 - PB
26. Daisuke Inazuka (Rikkyo Univ.) - 29:23.49
27. Tomohiro Arai (Senshu Univ.) - 29:23.76
28. Duncan Maina (Senshu Univ.) - 29:24.72
29. Hiroto Kudo (Reitaku Univ.) - 29:25.21

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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