Skip to main content

Queens Ekiden Streaming and Preview


Sunday is the first big race of championship ekiden season, the Queens Ekiden in Sendai, the season-ending national championship for corporate women. 24 teams race 42.195 km in 6 legs, with the top 8 scoring places for 2025. TBS' live nationwide broadcast starts at 11:50, with multi-camera streaming on Youtube above.

Last year Sekisui Kagaku won by almost a minute and a half, and with Paris Olympian Yuma Yamamoto, 2023 World Championships marathoner Sayaka Sato on its entry list and collegiate 1500 m record holder Mizuki Michishita having come on board this season it looks like a contender for another win. But last year's runner-up Japan Post got a big boost this season with the addition of its first non-Japanese member, two-time double 1500 m and 3000 m high school champion Caroline Kariba. The Queens Ekiden limits non-Japanese athletes to a 3.8 km leg, so it'd be tough for Kariba to bridge a 1:25 gap by herself with that little ground to work with. But what she can do is get Japan Post's last two runners into closer range of Sekisui Kagaku or whoever else is leading and give them the momentum to have a better chance of catching them.

2023 4th-placer Shiseido has three Paris Olympians, Mao Ichiyama, Rino Goshima and Yuka Takashima, in its lineup, but in recent racing a lot of its people haven't been in peak form, making it look shakier than last year. 6th last year, Daiichi Seimei seems to be on an upward trajectory with a great run in the marathon in Paris from Yuka Suzuki and Haruka Kokai having been pretty consistent all year. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Daiichi Seimei ahead of Shiseido and in contention for top 3.

Panasonic, Daihatsu, Tenmaya and Iwatani Sangyo round out last year's podium finishers. 11th last year, Uniqlo won October's Princess Ekiden qualifying race thanks in large part to the addition of corporate half marathon champ Dolphine Omare, like Japan Posts's Kariba the first non-Japanese athlete to run for her team. Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo was only 7 seconds behind Uniqlo at the Princess Ekiden, and both teams have a good chance of breaking through onto the national podium this time.

Two teams will be making their Queens Ekiden debuts. Tokyo Metro scored big when it recruited 2:22:29 marathoner Mao Uesugi away from her longtime home at Starts, with Bears putting in an even team effort at the Princess Ekiden to make the cut.

The complete field with bib numbers:

1. Sekisui Kagaku
2. Japan Post
3. Panasonic
4. Shiseido
5. Daihatsu
6. Daiichi Seimei
7. Tenmaya
8. Iwatani Sangyo
9. Uniqlo
10. Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo
11. Edion
12. Sysmex
13. Toyota Jidoshokki
14. Otsuka Seiyaku
15. Shimamura
16. Hitachi
17. Higo Gingo
18. Kyocera
19. Tokyo Metro
20. Nitori
21. Route Inn Hotels
22. Bears
23. Starts
24. Denso

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

Buy Me A Coffee

Labels:

Comments

Stefan said…
I've been counting down the days for the Queen's Ekiden. Earlier in the year, I thought the Panasonic team members were in great form and on a big improve but then they seemingly lost a bit of momentum so I'm unsure now how they will do. It is very hard to look past the reigning champions Sekisui Kagaku. The depth of their team is their strength and it appears all team members are injury free and fighting very hard for a position in the team. Despite this, I think their top runners are past their very best so there is some vulnerability there. For JP, if, and it is a big if, Ririka Hironaka is fully recovered from her injury that prevented her taking part in any races for the year and in top form, I think they can offer a very strong challenge. Miyaka Sugata has impressed and made significant progression in her performances this year. Yuna Wada surprised in last year's Ekiden with a great section run. And with the addition of Caroline Kariba they should do better than last year. Below is a link to the JP athletes' YouTube clip they uploaded yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLLU9yrUnL0&ab_channel=JPCAST
Daiichi Seimei are the team I'll be supporting because I've really enjoyed watching both Yuka Suzuki and Haruka Kokai the last couple of years. I hope they can make top 3. I just don't know enough about the rest of their team to be confident. Realistically, it will be a difficult task. I'm expecting to see the same top 6 as last year but with perhaps a re-arranged order. I don't expect Tenmaya to do as well this year (will Honami Maeda run and if so, how well?) and I do expect Uniqlo and Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo to challenge hard to make the top 8. I think Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo can beat Uniqlo and reverse the Princess Ekiden result this time round. Whatever happens, it should be very exciting as I don't forsee a runaway victory for any team. Every year, TBS do a wonderful job broadcasting this event live on their Youtube channel. I'm so thankful for this and your articles as I get to follow the sport I enjoy. Thank you.
November 22, 2024 at 4:15 PM
Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

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...
1 comment
Read more

Hakone Ekiden Qualifying Race Entry Roster Sizes Increased from 14 to 16

Hakone Ekiden organizers KGRR have announced details for the qualifying half marathon for next year's 103rd Hakone Ekiden. The Yosenkai qualifying race will be held Oct. 17 in Tachikawa, Tokyo. The combined times of the 10 fastest finishers from each participating team will be used for team scoring, with the 10 fastest teams going on the the main event next January and top-placing individuals from teams that do not qualify being names to the Kanto Region Student Alliance select team. One change from previous years is that the number of runners each school can enter has been increased from 14 to 16. Teams will still only be allowed to have from 10 to 12 athletes on the starting line, but the move gives coaches greater flexibility in making the final decision on their starting rosters. No changes have been made to the qualifying times of 34:00 for 10000 m or 1:13:00 for the half marathon, and the new earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. introduced last year in an effort to mitigate ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nomura and Odagiri Go 3-4 at Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km

2010 Zevenheuvelenloop 15 km Nijmegen, Netherlands, 11/21/10 Women click here for complete women's results 1. Genet Getaneh (Ethiopia) - 47:53 2. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya) - 48:07 3. Sayo Nomura (Meijo Univ.) - 49:43 4. Aki Odagiri (Meijo Univ.) - 51:37 5. Benita Willis (Australia) - 51:51 Men click here for complete men's results 1. Leonard Patrick Komon (Kenya) - 41:13 - WR 2. Abera Kuma (Ethiopia) - 42:01 3. Ayele Abshiro (Ethiopia) - 42:01 4. Abraham Kiplimo (Uganda) - 43:03 5. Berhanu Delale (Ethiopia) - 43:08 ----- 14. Kazuya Watanabe (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 45:31
Post a Comment
Read more