Wanjiru Silver, Yanagita Bronze - World University Games Day 1-2 Japanese Results

The 2025 FISU World University Games started Monday in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. In the Games' first final, the women's 10000 m, Daito Bunka University's Sarah Wanjiru of Kenya shaved just over 6 seconds off her PB with a 31:41.80, but it wasn't enough for gold as Slovenian 5000 m and road 5 km and 10 km NR holder Klara Lukan dropped a 31:25.84 Games record and PB for the win. In the race for bronze Spain's Alicia Berzosa Martin outran Meijo University 1st-year Mei Hosomi by a second, 32:00.72 to 32:01.91. Ayaka Maeda (Kansai Univ.) and Wakana Hashimoto (Meijo Univ.) were far back in the field, Maeda running 33:13.83 for 15th and Hashimoto 33:49.84 for 19th. The 18-year-old Hosomi's time was good enough to crack the all-time Japanese U20 top 10 and put her 2nd in the world this year on the U20 lists.

In qualifying rounds on the opening day, Shota Fuchigami (Waseda Univ.) and Ryosuke Takahashi (Hosei Univ.) took the top 2 spots in the men's 400 mH heats, Fuchigami running 50.16 and Takahashi 50.20. Toyo University teammates Hiroki Yanagita and Riku Oishi both won their men's 100 m heats, Yanagita in 10.39 (-0.8) and Oishi in 10.40 (-1.3). The lone Japanese man in the 400 m, Toyo's Kira Hirakawa also made it through with a 46.55 for the top spot in Heat 1.

The only Japanese woman in the 100 m, Yume Okuno (Konan Univ.) took 2nd in Heat 2 in 11.82 (+0.1) to move on to the semifinals. Neither Japanese woman in the long jump made it through the qualifying round, Miu Kimura (Shikoku Univ.) 9 cm out of the top 12 at 6.03 m (-0.9) and Mizuki Otsu (Nippon Joshi Taiiku Univ.) jumping only 5.87 m (-0.8).

In the men's 100 m semifinals on Tuesday, Yanagita won SF1 in 10.25 (-0.7), with Oishi 2nd in Heat 2 in 10.39 (-0.2) behind Thailand's Puripol Boonson, fastest in the semis in 10.24 (-0.2). In the final the fast-starting Yanagita was run down by South African Bayanda Joy Walaza, gold medalist in 10.16 (09.7). Boonson came from behind to just edge Yanagita for silver, 10.22 to 10.23, with Oishi unable to build momentum from the first 2 rounds at 10.44 for 6th. Okuno didn't advance through the women's 100 m semifinals, 6th in SF2 in 11.99 (-0.8). Fuchigami and Takahashi had better luck in the men7s 400 mH semis, both clocking 49.95 to move on to the final, and likewise for Hirakawa in the men's 400 m semis with a 46.18 to make the final.

In Day 2 qualifying action, Miku Takino (Ritsumeikan Univ.) made the women's 400 mH hurdles semifinals, running 57.21 for 4th in Heat 3. Sota Haraguchi (Juntendo Univ.) and Shun Yamanaka (Kyoto Univ.) both cleared 2.13 m to make the men's high jump final. No luck for Japanese middle distance, though. In the men's 1500 m heats Hinata Maeda (Kantaiheiyo Univ.) ran 3:47.19 for 6th in Heat 2 and Kiyoto Ono (Juntendo Univ.) 3:47.27 for 6th in Heat 1, neither making the final cut of 12. Yuri Nishida (Ritsumeikan Univ.) didn't make it through the first round of the women's 800 m either, taking 6th in Heat 4 in 2:07.02.

The FISU World University Games continue through Sunday.

2026 Tokyo Marathon Elite Field

The Mar. 1 Tokyo Marathon has great fields this year, so let's get right to it. The women's field has 3 of last year's top 10, winner for the 2nd year in a row and Tokyo CR holder Sutume Asefa Kebede , 3rd-placer and 2025 Chicago winner Hawi Feysa , and 5th-placer and 2025 Berlin winner Rosemary Wanjiru , plus 2024 Valencia winner Megertu Alemu , 2025 Prague winner Bertukan Welde , 2024 Paris winner Mestawut Fikir , 2024 Osaka winner Waganesh Mekasha , former WR holder Brigid Kosgei , and a lot more. Japanese hopes pretty much go to all-time #7 Ai Hosoda , 2:20:31 in Berlin 2024 but who announced this month that she is retiring after Tokyo despite having qualified for the 2028 Olympic marathon trials with her 2:23:27 for 6th in Sydney last year. Other internationals include Canadian Malindi Elmore , American Sara Hall , a big Chinese group led by Yuyu Xia , Poland's Aleksandra Brzezińska and Australian Vanessa Wilson . The men's race has 5 of last year's top 1...

Ai Hosoda Announces Retirement

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Measuring Marathon Courses by Bicycle

http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2013&d=0110&f=column_0110_034.shtml translated by Brett Larner The full marathon is a sport where you compete over 42.195 km, but how do they go about measuring that distance? Today we're going to look a little bit at how they go about certifying the distance of a marathon. The reality is that major international marathons use a bicycle to measure the distance. This rule is an international standard, and the same method of measurement is used everywhere. It was put into place in 1986. In order to ensure that the same method is used everywhere, a bicycle that meets IAAF specifications must be used for measurement. In the case of Japan's major marathons, to be certain that the distance is correct a provisional measurement is first made. Before the course is certified using a bicycle the course is measured using a 50 m-long length of wire to determine that it is in fact 42.195 km. When a bicycle is u...

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