Skip to main content

Aoyama Gakuin, Ritsumeikan Uji and Tottori Johoku Win Oga Ekiden


110 teams took part in the 72nd National Oga Ekiden in Akita Saturday, with 30 teams in the open division, 12 universities, 44 high school boys' teams and 24 high school girls' teams. The Shingenden Kogyo corporate team won the open division for the 2nd year in a row, with Hakone Ekiden champ Aoyama Gakuin University winning the 7-stage, 64.8 km university division in 3:14:28.

In the 5-stage, 21.0975 km high school girls' race, Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. took the win in 1:10:43. Right from the start it was a tough race against Sendai Ikuei H.S., which fielded 3 teams. Ritsumeikan Uji's lead runner Yui Ueda and Sendai Ikuei A's Rikka Kuroda both clocked 14:09, and a great stage-winning run from 2nd runner Nodoka Ashida put Ritsumeikan Uji out front. But Sendai Ikuei B's Miriam Njeri closed down the lead from 1:14 to 24 seconds on the 3rd leg, and her teammate Non Tachibana rode that momentum to overtake Ritsumeikan Uji for the lead.

It came down to the anchor stage, where Ritsumeikan Uji's Miyu Kobayashi closed down a 5-second deficit to Sendai Ikuei B and turned it into a 9-second margin of victory. Sendai Ikuei B was 2nd in 1:10:52, with its A-team 3rd in 1:11:25. 2024 National High School Ekiden winner Kamimura Gakuen H.S. was 4th in 1:11:34.

In the 7-stage, 42.195 km high school boys' race, Tottori Johoku H.S. was 1st across the finish line in 2:06:51. But because Tottori Johoku was running in a non-competitive capacity, Rakunan H.S. was the official winner in 2:07:57. Tottori Johoku's Ojiro Honda went straight into the lead on the opening leg. Sendai Ikuei H.S. took over on the 3rd leg with a stage win from Tsukasa Wakabayashi, and built its lead on the 4th and 5th legs. But on the 6th leg Tottori Johoku closed it back down to 1 second, then ran away on the anchor stage to finish 1st.

Official winner Rakunan was 5th after the 1st leg and dropped as far as 7th by the 4th leg. But its momentum turned after that, moving up one place on the 5th leg and then 6th runner Ryoya Taniguchi turning in a stage win to move into 3rd. Anchor Taishi Nojiri was also the fastest on his leg, covering the 9.3 km stage in 27:31 to pass Sendai Ikuei and open a lead of 1:04. In 2nd was 2024 National High School Ekiden winner Saku Chosei H.S. in 2:08:11, with Sendai Ikuei falling to 3rd in 2:09:04, holding off Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. by just 4 seconds.

Complete results: Open ・ University ・ High School Boys ・ High School Girls


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Most-Read This Week

Endo, Nishikawa and Yamakawa Announce Corporate Team Changes

The SG Holdings men's corporate team announced on Oct. 1 that long-distance athletes Hyuga Endo and Yuichiro Nishikawa have joined its roster after leaving the Sumitomo Denko team. Endo, 28, won the Junior Olympics 3000 m while at Koriyama Nishi J.H.S. before going on to Gakuho Ishikawa H.S. where he was the the top Japanese placer in the 5000 m at the National High School Championships 2 years in a row. After graduating from Gakuho Ishikawa he joined the Sumitomo Denko team, winning the National Championships 5000 m in 2021. He won gold at the 2023 Asian Championships and represented Japan at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships. "I will give everything I have as part of the team and work hard toward helping it win the New Year Ekiden," he said of his new environment. Of his personal goals he said, "I want to focus on the 5000 m and reach new levels to compete internationally." Nishikawa, 28, was a member of Tokai University 's winning teams at the H...
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Athletes Provisionally Suspended After Positive Drug Tests at Asian Games (updated)

The International Testing Agency announced on Oct. 2 that provisional suspensions have been imposed on two athletes, Kazakhstan's Aiana Bolatbekkyzy in track and field, and Tajikistan's Issamjon Sharifov in tennis, after they tested positive for prohibited substances at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Aichi. Bolatbekkyzy, 19, tested positive for the steroid drostanolone in a sample collected during an in-competition test at the Games. A diuretic drug was found in the sample collected from Sharifov, 23. Update:  On Oct. 3 a third athlete, kurash wrestler Yash Kumar Chauhan  of India, was provisionally suspended after an in-competition test detected the steroid metandienone, the metabolic modulator GW1516, and the stimulant mephentermine in his system. source article: https://www.sanspo.com/article/20261002-X4FJLT5MMZKFND6WXPOESAKETQ/ translated by Brett Larner
Post a Comment
Read more