Kubo Leads Higashi Osaka Keiai to 4x800 m NR

Newly crowned women's 800 m national champion Rin Kubo, 16, anchored one of two 4x800 m teams from Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S. at a time trial meet in Higashi Osaka Friday, setting a new Japanese NR of 8:33.77. The team, which included Rin Kitamura, Runa Asano, Misa Tamura and Kubo, took 8 seconds off the old record, clocking individual splits of 2:07.4 for Kitamura, 2:11.2 for Asano, 2:13.1 for Tamura and a solid 2:01.9 for the 16-year-old Kubo whose official PB for a standard 800 m is 2:03.13. Higashi Osaka Keiai's B-team also broke the old high school NR in 8:55.06.

Overseas, three members of Japan's team for the Paris Olympics tuned up at the Monaco Diamond League meet. Women's javelin world champion Haruka Kitaguchi (JAL) ntook the win in style with a 65.21 m season best on her final throw, surpassing the leader since the first round, Australian Mackenzie Little, by 47 cm. After a good comeback run at the Paris Diamond League meet, Shunsuke Izumiya (Sumitomo Denko) fell on the 8th hurdle in the men's 110 mH and failed to finish. In the women's 5000 m, NR holder Nozomi Tanaka (NB) was 3rd in a 14:40.86 SB.

Back in Japan at the third Hokuren Distance Challenge meet in Shibetsu, longtime Japan resident Hellen Ekarare (Toyota Jidoshokki) continued a surprising jump in her performances this season, smashing an 8:37.16 PB, almost 6 seconds off her best, to win the women's 3000 m A-heat by 26 seconds over . After lucking into roll down spots on the Paris team in the 5000 m and 1500 m, Wakana Kabasawa (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) and Yume Goto (Uniqlo) ran 8:53.99 and 8:58.30 for 3rd and 4th, a PB for Kabasawa and SB for Goto.

Shota Nakano (Honda) turned in maybe the performance of the meet in the men's 3000 m, winning in a PB 7:46.37 that tied him with 10000 m NR holder Kazuya Shiojiri at all-time Japanese #6. Ahead of a shot at the 1500 m NR later in the HDC series, Kazuto Iizawa (Sumitomo Denko) was 5th in a PB 8:07.06.

Other events in Shibetsu were relatively low-key. South Korean Jaeung Lee ran a 3-second PB of 3:41.48 to win the men's 1500 m, Nana Kuraoka (Kagoshima Ginko) winning the women's race in 4:23.34. The 5000 m A-heats went to Japan-based Kenyans James Muoki (Konica Minolta) in 13:31.10 and Tabitha Njeri Kamau (Mitsui Sumitomo Denko) in a 15:14.29 SB. Men's 10000 m winner Jin Yuasa (Chuo Univ. Club) was the only one in the top 12 not to run a PB or SB, winning in 28:17.37.

Over in Abashiri, Koku Gakuin University was at the front end of the Summer Distance Challenge meet with a 13:47.17 PB from 1st-year Yuta Asano to win the men's 5000 m and PBs from 3rd-year Goki Takayama and 2nd-year Hikaru Tsujihara to go 1-2 in the men's 10000 m in 28:25.72 and 28:27.93. 2nd-year Airi Tajima (Juntendo Univ.) won the women's 5000 m in a PB of 16:07.37.

National University Championships Entry Lists and Streaming

The 95th National University Track and Field Championships run Friday through Monday at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama. The complete meet schedule and live results are here . The 10000 m races were already held separately earlier this season. Streaming starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday Japan time, with separate field event channels and Day 2 and 3 streaming here . Top entries in each event with best performance in the qualifying window: Men 100 m Shoma Yamamoto (Hiroshima Univ.) - 10.04 Fukuto Komuro (Chuo Univ.) - 10.07 Naoki Nishioka (Tsukuba Univ.) - 10.09 Riku Oishi (Toyo Univ.) - 10.13 Kaito Kuroki (Chuo Univ.) - 10.14 Ryunosuke Mizuno (Waseda Univ.) - 10.14 Yugo Haitamataira (Juntendo Univ.) - 10.17 Shun Miyashita (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 10.19 200 m Akira Hayashi (Keio Univ.) - 20.36 Tomoru Funaki (Daito Bunka Univ.) - 20.39 Oma Asai (Tsukuba Univ.) - 20.47 Reishin Yamamoto (Toyo Univ.) - 20.49 Shingo Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) - 20.54 Haruto Nakamura (Fukuoka Univ.) - 20.55 400 m Shinya Hayashi...

Yuasa and Niiya Win Hokkaido Marathon, 6 Qualify for Olympic Trials

Six more people picked up qualifying spots for next year's MGC Race at yesterday's Hokkaido Marathon in Sapporo, guaranteeing themselves places at Japan's 2028 Los Angeles Olympics marathon trials. In the men's race, Hibiki Yoshida tried to break away from the massive lead group at 30 km, opening a 25-second lead between there and 35 km before getting cut down by the chase trio of Jin Yuasa , Ken Tansho and Masato Arao . All three stayed together until the very end, Yuasa showing the same kind of closing speed he had in winning 2025 Nobeoka Nishi Nippon Marathon and pulling away to win in 2:10:46. The debuting Tansho was next in 2:10:55, with Arao, 6th at last year's Sydney Marathon in an excellent 2:07:42, 3rd here in 2:10:59. By clearing 2:12:00 all three picked up MGC qualifying spots, freeing them up to go overseas next spring. Continuing a great season, Soka University 's Shoki Yamaguchi was 4th in 2:11:47, missing out on trials qualification but bea...

Monterey Welcomes Student-Athletes from Sister City Nanao, Japan

a press release by the Monterey-Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project photos here Fourteen student-athletes from Nanao High School in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, recently completed a weeklong visit to the Monterey Peninsula as part of the Monterey–Nanao Cross Country Exchange Project , bringing together young people from the two Sister Cities through running, education, environmental stewardship, cultural exchange, and friendship. The seven boys and seven girls from Nanao were paired with 14 members of the Monterey High School cross country team and stayed in their homes throughout the visit. The week marked the first half of a reciprocal exchange that will continue when the Monterey students travel to Nanao later this year. The visitors received their first introduction to Monterey shortly after arriving at Monterey High School, walking with their hosts to Sister City Park and gathering for photographs beside the sign honoring Nanao — a fitting beginning for a week devoted to bringin...

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