japan running news

Regarding the suspension of a former corporate league athlete for doping violations The action against former Aisan Kogyo corporate team athlete Rodgers Kwemoi of Kenya for violation of rules against anti-doping was recently finalized. The penalties imposed against Kwemoi that were announced on May 17 by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), an independent unit of World Athletics (WA), were as follows: Suspension from competition for a six-year period beginning 8 August, 2023 annulment of all competition results from 18 July, 2016 to 8 August, 2023 Details on the decision can be found at this link . In compliance with this ruling, all of Kwemoi's results in National Corporate Federation competitions during the specified period will be annulled. In addition, the Aisan Kogyo team results from ekidens in which Kwemoi competed for them will also be annulled. All official results will be updated to move individuals and teams that finished behind Kwemoi and Aisan Kogyo in these competit...

an editorial from the Rikujo Tsushin site The Yachiyo Kogyo corporation has announced that it will be shutting down its men's ekiden team at the end of the fiscal year because, with an eye toward the company's future, it needs to reallocate resources elsewhere. Yachiyo Kogyo manufactures resin parts and replacement parts for use in car components and systems like fuel tanks and sun roofs. Its total revenue adds up to  157.2 billion yen [~$1.37 billion USD]  annually, with its fuel tank segment making up 44.3 billion yen [~$386 million USD]  or roughly 28% of its revenue. The trend in the automotive world is clearly toward electric vehicles. In Germany and the U.K., sales of new gasoline or diesel-powered automobiles will be banned as of 2030. California will do the same by 2035, with France following suit by 2040. China's plans call for only hybrid vehicles by 2035. Comparing the manufacture of electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles, the number of pa...

Not having made it to the Hakone Ekiden since 2010, on Aug. 1 former champion Asia University announced the hiring of Kenyan Patrick Mwaka , 27, as assistant coach to oversee its comeback. A longtime member of the Aisan Kogyo corporate team until this past April, Mwaka has track bests of 13:21.45 for 5000 m and 27:33.14 for 10000 m, and ran his half marathon best of 1:00:53 at February's National Corporate Half Marathon. Among the main Hakone schools Kokushikan University also has Kenyan James Mwangi , 35, as assistant coach, but at just 27 Mwaka can still run with the students and give them the support they need to raise their game from close up. With his wife and two children still back in Kenya, he also now lives together with the student athletes in the team dormitory. First thing in the morning on his first day on the job Mwaka was at Asia's home track in Hinodemachi, Tokyo to guide the student athletes. In Japanese he said, "Let's all make it to the Hakone...

Higashiura resident and Aisan Kogyo employee Nao Kazami , 35, will represent Japan at the September 8 IAU 100 km World Championships ultramarathon in Croatia. An amateur runner with a regular full-time job, Kazami set the 100 km world record in June. "I'm ready for the next challenge," he says. "I'm not satisfied with just the time. I want to win the title too." The term ultramarathon refers to any race longer than the standard 42.195 km distance. On June 24 at the 33rd Lake Saroma 100 km Ultramarathon Kazami beat the world record for the distance which had stood unbroken for 20 years by 4 minutes and 19 seconds. That performance was enough to earn him a place at the World Championships. It was only his second time to finish a 100 km race. Born in Tokyo, Kazami began to run long distance while in junior high school. He went to ekiden powerhouse Komazawa University but never made its starting team for any of the major competitions. After graduating in...

It's Sunday, June 24. At the western end of Japan's main island of Honshu the competition at the Yamaguchi National Track and Field Championships has been heating up. On this day alone, the final day of the Championships, the national records have fallen in both the men's 110 m hurdles and men's discus throw. On the very same day, far to the northeast of Yamaguchi at Lake Saroma, Hokkaido, another new record was born . After standing for 20 years, the 100 km ultramarathon world record has finally fallen. The man who accomplished this deed is Nao Kazami (Aisan Kogyo). The previous world record of 6:13:33 was set at Lake Saroma by Takahiro Sunada (Sekisui Kagaku) in 1998. Kazami improved that mark by more than four minutes with a new record of 6:09:14.  "I was targeting place more than time," said Kazami of the race where he needed to finish in the top four to have a chance of being selected for the Japanese national team for this year's Croatia World ...

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/etc/20170408-OHT1T50191.html translated and edited by Brett Larner A long distance and marathon powerhouse, the 2017 New Year Ekiden national champion Asahi Kasei team has recruited Kenyan athletes for the first time. Surpassing even the 10000 m national record of 27:29.69 set by Asahi Kasei's Kota Murayama , 24, the pair of Kenyans includes a 32-year-old veteran who has run sub-27 and a young 23-year-old.  With experience coaching Kenyans at the Aisan Kogyo corporate team through the end of March, Isamu Sennai has also joined the Asahi Kasei staff in preparation for the Kenyans' arrival. At this year's New Year Ekiden corporate men's national championships, 30 of the 37 teams in the field featured foreign athletes.  In the midst of such a field, Asahi Kasei scored the first win by a Japanese-only team in 18 years.  Founded in 1946, Asahi Kasei produced greats including twins Shigeru and Takeshi Soh , 1991 World Championships mar...