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Miu Saito Moves up Steeplechase All-Time List at Edion Distance Challenge


The last big track time trial of the season, probably, Saturday's Edion Distance Challenge had its biggest result in its smallest event. With only 3 women on the starting line, the 3000 mSC saw Miu Saito from Nittai University move up from all-time Japanese #9 to #8 with a 9:45.62 PB that put her almost 35 seconds ahead of her closest competitor.

Panasonic's Nanami Watanabe took the women's 5000 m fast heat in 15:29.67, but a lot of the main competition, Kae Gyu from National Corporate Women's Ekiden winner Japan Post, Yuma Yamamoto, Risa Sasaki and Tomoka Kimura from runner-up Sekisui Kagaku, top-tier collegians Nanaka Yamazaki, Nanase Tanimoto and Haruka Ogawa, and others just looked tired. Only 8 women broke 16 minutes, and with 7 others going sub-16 in the B-heat better seeding might have produced better races.

Some Japan Post runners did do well in the women's 10000 m fast heat, with Miyaka Sugata winning in 31:42.28 and Caroline Kariba 3rd in 31:51.45, but at 32:29.74 for 6th Ririka Hironaka would have been only 3rd in the B-heat won by Yuki Toyoda of Ehime Ginko in 32:35.78. Collegiate 10000 m record holder Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) ran 33:19.05 for 12th, far off her peak 3 years ago but consistent with where she's been in her comeback this season.

The men's 5000 m fast heat only had a few quality entries, with Ryuto Igawa of Asahi Kasei taking the win in 13:49.30 and only two others clearing 14 minutes.

Edion Distance Challenge in Osaka 2024

Nagai Stadium, Osaka, 7 Dec. 2024

Women's 3000 mSC
1. Miu Saito (Nittai Univ.) - 9:45.62 - PB
2. Yuzu Nishide (Daihatsu) - 10:20.16
3. Ayaka Koike (F-Assist) - 10:26.55

Women's 3000 m
1. Yuka Sakajiri (Wacoal) - 9:35.26
2. Kae Imai (Aichi Denki) - 9:35.45
3. Yuzu Hasegawa (Higashi Osaka Keiai H.S.) - 9:36.09

Women's 5000 m Heat 4
1. Nanami Watanabe (Panasonic) - 15:29.67
2. Nagisa Shimotabira (Senko) - 15:35.97
3. Sora Shinozakura (Panasonic) - 15:36.83
4. Kaede Kawamura (Iwatani Sangyo) - 15:42.93
5. Yuma Yamamoto (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:44.47
6. Haruka Kokai (Daiichi Seimei) - 15:50.34
7. Manami Nishiyama (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 15:53.44
8. Risa Yamazaki (Nittai Univ.) - 15:54.67
9. Momoa Yamada (Shimamura) - 16:00.19
10. Kae Gyu (Japan Post) - 16:07.28
11. Nanaka Yonezawa (Meijo Univ.) - 16:07.31
12. Yuri Tasaki (Sysmex) - 16:11.14
13. Risa Sasaki (Sekisui Kagaku) - 16:11.33
14. Haruka Ogawa (Rikkyo Univ.) - 16:17.51
15. Kotone Hoshina (Route Inn Hotels) - 16:32.42
16. Nanase Tanimoto (Meijo Univ.) - 16:32.43
-----
DNF - Tomoka Kimura (Sekisui Kagaku)

Women's 5000 m Heat 3
1. Ayu Henmi (Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:50.70
2. Ami Fujimoto (Kyocera) - 15:52.61
3. Reika Kozono (Kyocera) - 15:53.32
4. Sakura Ishikawa (Panasonic) - 15:54.57
5. Jerusha Yuri Mayaka (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 15:55.40
6. Aoi Suzuki (Nitori) - 15:56.34
7. Mizuki Michishita (Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:57.96
8. Moe Shimizu (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 16:01.06
9. Miku Matsuoka (Uwa H.S.) - 16:04.60
10. Sakura Nishio (Iwatani Sangyo) - 16:14.11

Women's 10000 m Heat 2
1. Miyaka Sugata (Japan Post) - 31:42.28
2. Nanaka Izawa (Starts) - 31:44.85
3. Caroline Kariba (Japan Post) - 31:51.45
4. Mikuni Yada (Edion) - 32:14.31
5. Kana Mizumoto (Edion) - 32:15.57
6. Ririka Hironaka (Japan Post) - 32:29.74
7. Yuka Ando (Shimamura) - 32:38.51
8. Kaho Horio (Route Inn Hotels) - 32:42.93
9. Kazuna Kanetomo (Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) - 32:59.53
10. Mitsu Ozaki (Sysmex) - 33:01.59
11. Honoka Tanaike (Otsuka Seiyaku) - 33:08.17
12. Seira Fuwa (Takushoku Univ.) - 33:19.05
13. Rion Furukawa (Nitori) - 33:21.87
14. Akina Fujimura (Noritz) - 33:27.72
15. Yuna Takahashi (Shimamura) - 33:31.29
16. Momoka Kawauchi (Uniqlo) - 33:35.54
17. Wakana Itsuki (Kyudenko) - 33:46.68
18. Hisami Ishii (Sysmex) - 33:50.49
19. Erina Yasui (Iwatani Sangyo) - 33:52.45
20. Aoi Takahashi (Josai Univ.) - 34:19.26
21. Minami Yamanouchi (Shimamura) - 34:35.47
22. Nanako Miwa (Kansai Gaikokugo Univ.) - 35:07.83

Women's 10000 m Heat 1
1. Yuki Toyoda (Ehime Ginko) - 32:35.78
2. Ayuka Kazama (Shiseido) - 32:37.45
3. Miu Yagi (Iwatani Sangyo) - 32:44.62
4. Ayumi Morita (Tokyo Metro) - 32:46.34
5. Shiori Nagumo (Higo Ginko) - 32:47.72
6. Riko Iijima (SID Group) - 32:48.79
7. Kokoro Sakai (Sysmex) - 33:02.85
8. Eriko Otsuka (Higo Ginko) - 33:17.84
9. Anna Suzuki (Shimamura) - 33:29.55
10. Yui Kawabe (Shimamura) - 33:39.53

Men's 5000 m Heat 4
1. Ryuto Igawa (Asahi Kasei) - 13:49.30
2. Yuki Ishii (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:57.61
3. Kosei Tanimura (Kansai Univ.) - 13:59.69
4. Yuta Ida (Osaka Gas) - 14:00.41
5. Haruki Minatoya (NTT Nishi Nihon) - 14:02.33
6. Tomoya Kitamura (OBRS) - 14:03.90
7. Akihito Kawata (SID Group) - 14:08.66
8. Koki Nakamura (Kyoto Sangyo Univ.) - 14:19.54
9. Kazuki Kawamura (Toenec) - 14:20.31
10. Ruina Bukawa (Toenec) - 14:28.00

© 2024 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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Stefan said…
Nanami Watanabe was fantastic in the cold windy conditions and ran away with the 5000m race. I was disappointed no one seemed interested to keep up with the pacer especially Yuma Yamamoto given she indicated she was going for a PB and needed to do that to achieve this. I heard Nanami Watanabe is looking to take on the half marathon distance next year. Also impressed with Sora Shinozakura from Panasonic. Solid run home to finish 3rd. I'm not sure what is going on with Tomoko Kimura from Sekisui Kagaku this season. She always appears strong for the first 2 to 3000m then drops off the pace. This time a DNF so hopefully not injured. And strangely nothing I could find on the Sekisui Kagaku X account either.

Miyaka Sugata from JP continues to impress. She was on a mission. Kept up with the pace maker when Caroline Kariba dropped off slightly and you could sense her determination to win. This season I think she has done very well but now she needs to break the 31min barrier to really establish herself with the elite and have a chance to make the World Championship team. Ririka Hironaka, although finishing slower than her intended 32:25 time did okay given this is only her 2nd run on the track this year. It's a decent time and I expect her to improve dramatically if she can train without injury. On the contrary, I'm not so sure about Seira Fuwa. One of her legs was taped which is never a good thing to see and she is not improving her times since she came back. It's disappointing to see. Taking so much time off, perhaps, mentally she has lost her drive. Hopefully, when she joins her new team next year it will be re-ignited and her form will come back. Everyone would love to see this.

Last but not least, Miu Saito did great to not only get a PB but be the #8 all time Japanese for the 3000mSC.
December 9, 2024 at 2:04 PM
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