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National High School Championships Day 1 Highlights

The 2026 National High School Championships started Thursday in Otsu, Shiga. Finals on the opening day were limited to boys' events, with Rintaro Sasho (Bunan H.S.) taking the high jump with a 2.07 m clearance and Issa Matsumoto (Morimura Gakuen H.S.) the javelin throw at 64.77 m. Reon Kitamura got Kyoto's Rakunan H.S. off to a good start, leading Day 1 of the boys' octathlon by 21 points with a score of 3157.

Rakunan also did well in the boys' 1500 m heats, with 3 runners, Koki Ishihara, Kain Inagaki and Yuma Tanaka, making the final. Sota Iihoshi (Chinen Gakuen H.S.) was the fastest qualifier with a 3:48.23 to lead Heat 2, while Taro Yoshida (Tottori Johoku H.S.) and Yuki Kita (Tokushima Kagaku Gijitsu H.S.) advanced on protest after a collision in Heat 1.

Kana Inoue (Yamagata Johoku H.S.) led the girls' 1500 m final qualifiers in 4:23.01 in Heat 3. Joto H.S. was the only school to advance more than one runner, with Riona Tateishi and Sarina Tateishi both making the final in 4:24.87 and 4:26.49.

National High School Championships

Day 1 Highlights
Otsu, Shiga, 30 July 2026

1. Rintaro Sasho (Bunan H.S.) - 2.07 m
2. Akito Kuroda (Fukuoka Daiichi H.S.) - 2.04 m
3. Daisuke Ishikawa (Anjo Gakuen H.S.) - 2.04 m

1. Issa Matsumoto (Morimura Gakuin H.S.) - 64.77 m
2. Keiichi Wada (Ichinomiya Okoshi H.S.) - 63.31 m
3. Kaoru Naito (Nagano Nichidai H.S.) - 62.14 m

1. Reon Kitamura (Rakunan H.S.) - 3157
2. Joji Kudo (Tokaidai Goyosei H.S.) - 3136
3. Yuto Mukohara (Shigakkan H.S.) - 3096

Kana Inoue (Yamagata Johoku H.S.) - 4:23.01 - 1st, H3
Rikka Kuroda (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 4:23.93 - 2nd, H3
Moe Imon (St. Catalina Gakuen H.S.) - 4:24.54 - 1st, H2
Aika Murai (Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 4:24.56 - 2nd, H2
Haru Azuma (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:24.76 - 3rd, H2
Riona Tateishi (Joto H.S.) - 4:24.87 - 3rd, H3
Minami Sugano (Chikushi Joshi Gakuen H.S.) - 4:25.11 - 4th, H2
Kanna Fujii (Saijo Nogyo H.S.) - 4:26.41 - 4th, H3
Sarina Tateishi (Joto H.S.) - 4:26.49 - 1st, H4
Shiori Honma (Yamagata Chuo H.S.) - 4:26.54 - 2nd, H4
Honor Muramatsu (Tokaidai Sagami H.S.) - 4:26.64 - 5th, H3
Ema Gendai (Niihama Higashi H.S.) - 4:26.67 - 6th, H3
Kazuha Sugiyasu (Luther Gakuin H.S.) - 4:26.79 - 3rd, H4
Aika Koreeda (Meijodai H.S.) - 4:28.56 - 1st, H1
Rizu Hara (Nagano Higashi H.S.) - 4:28.62 - 2nd, H1
Nano Iwahashi (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.) - 4:29.55 - 3rd, H1

Sota Iihoshi (Chiben College H.S.) - 3:48.23 - 1st, H2
Riku Umeda (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 3:48.32 - 2nd, H2
Haruto Morita (Toyokawa H.S.) - 3:48.52 - 3rd, H2
Sei Yoshida (Tokaidai Sapporo H.S.) - 3:48.61 - 1st, H4
Koki Ishihara (Rakunan H.S.) - 3:48.63 - 4th, H2
Yusuke Yano (Kobayashi H.S.) - 3:49.69 - 1st, H3
Sota Furuya (Shiritsu Funabashi H.S.) - 3:49.95 - 2nd, H4
Kain Inagaki (Rakunan H.S.) - 3:50.66 - 1st, H1
Ryushin Tanaka (Kagoshima Josai H.S.) - 3:50.70 - 2nd, H1
Shoki Tawara (Nagasaki Nichidai H.S.) - 3:50.84 - 2nd, H3
Yutaka Suzuki (Shiga Gakuen H.S.) - 3:50.88 - 3rd, H3
Shinichi Oike (Jonouchi H.S.) - 3:51.07 - 4th, H3
Ran Ota (Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin H.S.) - 3:51.10 - 3rd, H1
Yuma Tanaka (Rakunan H.S.) - 3:51.23 - 3rd, H4
Uryu Kataoka (Toyota Otani H.S.) - 3:51.30 - 5th, H3
Ota Nakamura (Nagano Nichidai H.S.) - 3:51.33 - 6th, H3
Taro Yoshida (Tottori Johoku H.S.) - 3:58.11 - 13th, H1
Yuki Kita (Tokushima Kagaku Gijitsu H.S.) - 4:04.93 - 16th, H1

© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved

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