Sasaki Breaks 49-Yr-Old Steeple MR, Wanjiru Undefeated Over 5000 m - Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships Highlights

Japan's best university track meet happened the last 4 days in Tochigi at the 105th Kanto Region University Track and Field Championships. The race of the meet was without a doubt the D1 men's 3000 mSC, where Japanese U20 all-time #2 Tetsu Sasaki (Waseda University) and Sanetada Ono (Tokai Univ.) pushed each other to both break one of the oldest records in Japanese athletics, 10-mile NR holder Masanari Shintaku's 8:35.2 Kanto Regionals meet record from 1977. Just starting his 2nd year at Waseda, Sasaki got the win and record in 8:24.96, landing just outside the all-time Japanese top 10. Ono took just over a second off his PB to go under Shintaku's old record too in 8:31.41 for 2nd.

On the women's side the race of the meet was the D1 women's 5000 m. Undefeated in the 5000 m and 10000 m at Kanto Regionals her first 3 years, Daito Bunka University 4th-year Sarah Wanjiru lost her shot at a perfect scorecard when she got taken down over the last lap in Thursday's 10000 m by Daisy Jerop (Josai Kokusai Univ.), finishing 2nd in 32:15.41 to Jerop's winning 32:08.75. Back for a rematch in Sunday's 5000 m, Wanjiru and Jerop hammered each other all the way to the line. Both broke the meet record, but Wanjiru got payback by the tiniest of margins, beating Jerop 15:17.01 to 15:17.02. You can't always get everything you want, but at the very least Wanjiru now walks away with 4-straight 5000 m titles.

Other highlights:

Collegiate 5000 m and 10000 m record holder Richard Etir (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.) rounded out his 4th year at Kanto Regionals with a double win. First he won a competitive D2 10000 m on Thursday, running 27:43.53 in a race where the top 7, including Japanese athletes Riki Koike (Soka Univ.) and Yoshihiro Kusuoka (Teikyo Univ.) broke 28 minutes. Sunday he set a D2 MR of 13:24.76 to win the 5000 m over teammate Amos Bett, 2nd in 13:28.33, and Stephen Muthini (Soka Univ.), 3rd in 13:28.45.
Sora Murata (Tsukuba Univ.) and Mitsuki Kobayashi (Nittai Univ.) both broke Kobayashi's MR in the D1 women's pole vault, Murata clearing 4.17 m on her 1st attempt but Kobayashi only getting as high as 4.12 m.
The D1 men's 5000 m was good too, with Kaisei Okada (Chuo Univ.) continuing to deliver great run after great run with a 13:31.43 to win over Rui Suzuki (Waseda Univ.), 2nd in 13:33.73.
Chuo University also beat Waseda to win the D1 men's 4x100 m in 39.10. After fast heats where Chuo led the way in 39.05, all 7 teams that finished the final broke 39.7. The winner in Heat 2 in 39.29, Toyo University was DQd in the final but was sure to have gone under 39.7 too, very solid results overall for a regional meet. By comparison, not a single team in the D2 final got under 40.

In overall scoring, Juntendo University took the D1 men's team title with 135 points, Tokai University distantly 2nd with 91 points. Tsukuba University narrowly won the D1 women's title over Nittai University, Tsukuba scoring 139.5 and Nittai 130. Kokusai Budo University was the D2 men's team champ with 95 points. In the graduate school division, Tsukuba won the men's title with 26 points and the women's title with 11 points. Complete individual results across all divisions here.

Kobe Marathon Elite Field

Sunday's Kobe Marathon has announced its elite fields, finally. Japanese athletes have a shot at qualifying for next fall's MGC Race, the official trials race for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if they go sub-2:27 for the first Japanese woman across the line or sub-2:09 for the first 3 Japanese men to do it. There aren't a lot of contenders to pull it off. On the women's side, Kaede Hagitani , Ayaka Shimoyamada and Kotomi Tsubokura all ran 2:31-32 PBs in the spring and will need to step it up a couple of notches to get there. 2:23 Kenyan Antonina Kwambai is perfectly positioned to help. On the men's side, Keijiro Mogi is closest with a 2:09:06 at last year's Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, Hiroto Kanamori his closest domestic competition with a 2:10:01 PB in Osaka in February. The international trio of last year's winner Barnaba Kipkoech , Elisha Rotich and Goitom Kifle all have recent 2:06-7 times and should help set it up for someone to get there, wh...

Kenyan Graduate Student Athlete Posts Job Hunt for Ekiden Team on Twitter

A Kenyan runner who had tried to help lead his team to the Hakone Ekiden has taken an unusual approach to finding a post-graduation sponsor. Last week Patrick Kamau posted his job hunt on his Twitter account , saying, "I am looking for a club team or a corporate team where I can run in ekidens. I would be happy to run for any team that gave me a chance. I would be grateful for any opportunity and take it on with a positive attitude!" Kamau was 5th at the Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai qualifying race half marathon in 1:01:10 last year during his 4th year at Jobu University . But despite his efforts, Jobu never qualified for Hakone during his 4 years there. He is currently working on a graduate degree while looking for "a team that will let me continue my competitive career." Fans responded to Kamau's job search posting, saying, "I hope it works out for you!" "Good luck comes to those who work hard" and "Kamau is going to graduate school? Given...

Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite Field (updated)

Another big race on the MGC qualifying calendar has posted its elite fields, the Dec. 6 Hofu Yomiuri Marathon . It looks like a good race for the single MGC spot up for women under 2:27, and the 6 spots for men sub-2:09. Yuka Ando is the favorite in the women's race with a 2:21:18 in Nagoya 2 years ago, with her only real competition coming from Ayumi Morita , who broke 2:27 in Hofu last year but missed qualifying by not being the first Japanese woman across the line. CR holder Workneh Derese is back after his 2:06:58 win last year, leading Kenyan veteran Bedan Karoki and 4 Japanese men with a solid chance at sub-2:09, Tatsuya Maruyama , Ryoma Takeuchi , Shuho Dairokuno and Kento Nishi . Takeuchi set his 2:08:20 PB at Gold Coast in July, and Dairokuno is fresh off a great run at the final Kyushu Corporate Ekiden. Masatoshi Sakata , Yota Ifuku , Madoka Tanihara and Daiji Kawai have both come close to sub-2:09 in recent races and could factor in. 57th Hofu Yomiuri Marathon Elite...

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