japan running news

Only 7 Japanese athletes were in action across 3 events on the fifth day of the Tokyo World Championships . In the men's javelin throw qualification round, all 3 on the squad, Yuta Sakiyama , Roderick Genki Dean and Gen Naganuma , failed to make it to the final. Sakiyama was the best of them at 77.61 m for 15th in group A, Dean throwing 77.01 m for 16th in the same group and Naganuma 74.70 m for 17th in group B, putting him at 36th out of 37 competitors overall. Japan's hopes now rest on the women's javelin team. There was better luck in the women's 200 m heats, where Abigail Fuuka Ido , running on a host country slot, unexpectedly qualified for the semifinals with a 22.98 (+0.0) for 5th in Heat 5. That was enough to give her a time qualifying spot, and not the last one. Towa Uzawa came in ranked much higher in the men's 200 m field than Ido was in the women's, and he matched her performance in the heats with a 20.39 (+0.0) for 3rd in Heat 6 to move on to the ...

It's a pretty light day of competition for Japan on day 5 of its home soil World Athletics Championships , with only 7 people in action. 19:10 / 20:45 - Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Yuta Sakiyama (Ehime T&F Assoc.) - 87.16 m -  1st, Nationals Roderick Genki Dean (Mizuno) - 84.66 m -  2nd, Nationals Gen Naganuma (Suzuki) - 80.58 m -  3rd, Nationals Prognosis : Sakiyama and Dean are high enough up the rankings that both should make the final. Naganuma just squeezed onto the team thanks to roll-downs and will likely not advance. 19:30 - Women's 200 m Heats Abigail Fuuka Ido (Toho Ginko) - 22.79 (+1.0) -  1st, Nationals Prognosis : The new NR holder, Ido was an addition to the team thanks to Japan's host country slots. Her NR of 22.79 is far from the slowest season best in the field, but it would take some really good luck for her to advance. 20:15 - Men's 200 m Heats Towa Uzawa (JAL) - 20.11 (+0.9) -  1st, Nationals Soshi Mizukubo (Miyazaki T&F Assoc.)...

In March this year it was learned that Genki Dean , 33, a javelin thrower who represented Japan in the Paris Olympics, had gotten married. His partner was Yuka Sato , 32, another javelin thrower who retired last fall. Reporters broke the news of their "javelinuptials" with a wry smile. As a 20-year-old 3rd-year at Waseda University Dean had a massive breakthrough with what was at the time the 2nd-best mark in Japanese history, qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics. He struggled with injury for years, but last year he returned to the Olympics when he represented Japan in Paris. This season he is competing around the world in hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo World Championships. But against that backdrop was an ongoing struggle with another woman, his ex-fiancee. "I met him in 2017, and we clicked right away and became lovers," she said. The pair started living together, and she soon got pregnant. According to her, at first Dean was really happy about it and cried ...

Most of the action was overseas this weekend, with the Chugoku Jitsugyodan Time Trials meet in Hiroshima being the only really noteworthy domestic event. Dan Kiplangat (JFE Steel) had the fastest time in the six heats of men's 5000 m, beating Kibet Mangata (Mazda) by 0.38 seconds for the win in 13:35.44. 2:06 marathoner Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) was 5th in 13:58.28, with teammate Kakeru Ide (Kurosaki Harima) taking the B-heat in 13:58.34 and high schooler Itsuki Takaishi (Kochi Kogyo H.S.) joining the sub-14 club with a 13:59.04 to win the C-heat. Rose Wangui (Sera H.S.) got her ekiden season prep off to a good start with a 9:00.27 win in the women's 3000 m. With Kenyan Brimin Kipkorir Misoi soloing a 2:06:18 for the win Japanese men went 4-5 at the Sydney Marathon in Australia, Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Asahi Kasei) 4th in 2:08:54 and Ken Nakayama (Honda) 5th in 2:09:23. 2:06 marathoner Hidekazu Hijikata (Asahi Kasei) was only 11th in 2:14:46. On the women's side...

Day 6 of athletics at the Paris Olympics saw almost every Japanese athlete eliminated, with only one moving on thanks to a successful appeal. After missing out on making the 5000 m final, Nozomi Tanaka had a lucky break in the first women's 1500 m heat when she collided with another runner with 200 m to go. Although Tanaka finished 11th in 4:04.28, she was advanced to the semifinals on appeal. Yume Goto ran a PB of 4:09.41 for 13th in Heat 2 and will run the repechage round. In the men's javelin throw, Roderick Genki Dean threw a season best 82.48 m in the first qualification group, unluckily coming in at 13th and missing a place in the field of 12 for the final. With no repechage round to help him out Dean's first Olympics since London 2012 comes to an end. Women's long jump NR holder Sumire Hata jumped 6.31 m (+0.4) for 26th in the qualifying round and likewise missed out on a place in the final. Two of the three Japanese men in the 110 mH made the semifinals, bu...

Japan's Olympic trials, National Championships and National U20 Championships , continue Saturday in Niigata at Denka Big Swan Stadium. Live results will be here . The schedule: Finals Men's Discus Throw Final 12:15 No Japanese men are in range of making the Olympic team, so this is strictly a national-level competition with last year's winner Yuji Tsutsumi looking to hold off Shinichi Yukinaga and Masateru Yugami to repeat. Only Yukinaga has thrown over 60 m this season, and his 62.52 puts him only 7 cm behind Tsutsumi's career best. Shinichi Yukinaga (Shikoku Univ. AC) - 62.52 m SB / PB Masateru Yugami (Toyota) - 59.31 m SB / 62.16 m PB Yuji Tsutsumi (Alsok) - 59.07 m SB / 62.59 m PB Hiroki Kitahara (Niigata Iryo Fukushi Univ.) - 57.24 m SB / PB Kosei Yamashita (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 55.68 m SB / PB Koshiro Fujiwara (Kyushu Kyoritsu Univ.) - 55.32 SB / PB Men's Pole Vault Final  14:50 Likewise in the men's pole vault, Paris is out of range. It's a p...

Haruka Kitaguchi lived up to her #1 in the world ranking with a last-second comeback to take gold on the 7th day of the Budapest World Championships . Stunningly consistent with her first five throws all between 61.78 m and 63.00 m, Kitaguchi sat in 4th place just out of the medals when she stepped up for her 6th and final attempt. Australian Mackenzie Little and Latvian Anete Kocina were just ahead at 63.38 m and 63.18 m, but with Colombia's Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado having opened with a 65.47 m area record it would take something special for Kitaguchi to move into the top spot. And that's exactly what she delivered. Kitaguchi threw 66.73 m, the second-furthest of her career and just 31 cm off her month-old national record, right when it mattered. With that she stepped into the history books as the first Japanese woman ever to win a World Championships gold medal in an event other than the marathon. Back home there were immediate calls for a national holiday to be declared. ...

The final day of the Bangkok Asian Athletics Championships kicked off with a gold medal in the men's 20 km race walk from Yutaro Murayama in a close race with China's Kaihua Wang that saw Murayama win by 49 seconds. Bronze medalist Vikash Singh was over 4 minutes behind Wang, while Murayama's teammate Hiroto Jusho dropped out mid-race. Yukiko Umeno took bronze in the women's race in 1:36:18, almost 4 minutes behind winner Liujing Yang . Miyu Naito finished just out of the medals in 4th in 1:37:35. In the evening session, Yuma Yamamoto and Hyuga Endo made it a Japanese women's and men's double in the 5000 m. In the women's race, Yamamoto stayed behind Mongolia's Munkhzaya Bayartsogt and Kazakhstan's Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui through the early phases, then India's Parul Chaudhary before going to the front. After hitting 4000 m in 12:57.19 Yamamoto went faster and faster to burn Chaudhary off, officially clocking a 2:53.97 last 1000 m t...

As expected the senior men's 5000 m was the race of the day at the start of Japan's 107th National Track and Field Championships and 39th U20 National Championships . 10 mile WB holder Benard Koech (Kyudenko) held the pace steady at exactly 2:40/km through 3000 m, too much for NR holder Suguru Osako (GMO) who dropped out shortly after that. The pace slowed to 2:46 for the 4th km, prompting steeplechase Olympian Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) to launch a long surge, 2:33 for the last 1000 m and 60' for the last lap, that carried him to the win in 13:19.85. Indoor 5000 m NR holder Hyuga Endo (Sumitomo Denko) and Kanta Shimizu (Subaru) closed in the final 200 m but were too far back, two-time national champ Endo taking 2nd in 13:20.84 and Shimizu 3rd in a PB 13:21.18. U20 NR holder Keita Sato (Komazawa Univ.) started conservatively and spent most of the race moving up through the field. Out of range when Endo and Shimizu went, Sato showed the influence of workouts he learned ...

A Japanese men's 4x400 m relay had only made a World Championships final once before in 2003, but this year's squad of Fuga Sato , Kaito Kawabata , Julian Walsh and Joseph Nakajima exceeded expectations, running the 2nd-fastest time in the heats to make the Oregon 22 World Championships final. Sato put the team into contention with Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago for 2nd, Kawabata and Walsh kept them there, and Nakajima surprised by holding off Jamaican Anthony Cox by just 0.06 in a season best 3:01.53. That was better than any team in Heat 2, and, granted, over two and a half seconds behind the United States, but not even Japanese TV announcers seemed to have expected the squad to make the final let alone have a medal within the realm of possibility. Another big run in the final will do a lot to make up for the disappointment of a second-straight 4x100 m exchange failure. Both Japanese women in the 100 m hurdles went on to the semifinals on time, Mako Fukube taking 4th...

Ten years after his last appearance on the Japanese national team with a 9th-place finish at the London Olympics, Roderick Genki Dean put himself in good position in the qualification round of the men's javelin throw on Day 7 of the Oregon 22 World Athletics Championships . With all 12 qualifiers for the final going over 80 m Dean was right on the cusp with his first two throws, hitting 79.26 m and 79.33 m. But on his third attempt he pulled out a season best 82.34 m to make the cut, positioning himself at 7th going into the final. Teammate Kenji Ogura couldn't quite get there, throwing 78.48 m on his first attempt and unable to better it on his other two. Dean looks to be in good position to better his London performance in Saturday's final if he can replicate the same kind of form. Neither of the other Japanese athletes in action advanced to the next round in their events. Running in Heat 2, all-time Japanese #2 Hyuga Endo only needed to finish 10th in 13:24.55 to mak...

The National Track and Field Championships wrapped up Sunday in Osaka with a few more additions to the Oregon World Championships team and a few left to wait another two weeks til the qualification deadline. The most emotional performance of the day came in the men's javelin throw. Roderick Genki Dean (Mizuno) won the 2012 National Championships and then took 9th in the final at that year's London Olympics while still a student at Waseda University . Injury setbacks meant it took him until 2020 to break 80 m again, and in all those years he never won another national title. Today he threw 81.02 m on his third attempt, beating runner-up Kenji Ogura (Tochigi Sports Assoc.) by 77 cm for the win. 27th of 32 in the quota pre-Nationals, his mark and win all but guarantee that he'll be in Oregon next month. "It was a long time coming," he said in his victory interview. In the women's 400 mH, Ami Yamamoto (Ritsumeikan Univ.) broke 57 seconds for the first time to...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20130714-1157211.html translated by Brett Larner With August's Moscow World Championships drawing near, the members of the Japanese national team are building toward their sharpening phase.  While the world focues on the Diamond League, some of the Japanese team's star members will be competing domestically at the Twilight Games and National High School Championships. The July 28 Twilight Games at Shibuya's Oda Field will feature three members of the Moscow team, Ryota Yamagata  (21, Keio Univ.) and Kei Takase  (24, Team Fujitsu) in the men's 100 m, with  Miyuki Fukumoto  (36, Konan Gakuen AC) leading the women's high jump.  Yamagata, who beat teen sensation Yoshihide Kiryu  (17, Rakunan H.S.) at last month's National Championships, comes to the Twilight Games in excellent shape after winning silver at last week's World University Games.  He is a strong contender in the race for Jap...

by Brett Larner Following the women's 10000 m meet record set yesterday by Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) and Seito Yamamoto  (Chukyo Univ.) joining her on the Moscow World Championships team, the 97th Japanese National Track and Field Championships continue today at western Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium.  Below is a quick guide to some of the day's best events, with the men's 10000 m, 100 m and javelin leading the way. JRN will be on-site to cover the meet live. Men's 10000 m   - June 8 There's been some momentum in the men's 10000 m this year, with three collegiates going sub-28 and two men hitting the 27:40.00 World Championships A-standard.  All of them are on the list for today's 10000 m, led by Suguru Osako  (Waseda Univ.) in 27:38.31 and defending national champion Yuki Sato  (Team Nissin Shokuhin) with a 27:38.25 best and a 27:39.50 mark this year.  Sato outkicked Osako for the win and an Olympic spot last year, and as the only two men wit...

http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/osaka/sports/article/news/20130114-OHO1T00058.htm translated by Brett Larner The new star of the proud Osaka track world, with a Kenyan father Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (3rd yr., Kunei Joshi Gakuin J.H.S.) passed six people on the 3.0 km Third Stage of Sunday's National Women's Ekiden to break the 9 year-old course record with a new record of 9:10. The Kanagawa team ran 2:14:55 for the nine-stage, 42.195 race to set a new overall course record while taking its first win in 26 years , with the Hyogo team 2nd. With seven members including Takamatsu returning from last year's winning team, Osaka took 3rd. All eyes along Kyoto's historic streets were focused on the 15 year-old Takamatsu.  Taking up the tasuki in 8th place, her slender 157 cm, 39 kg body moved with spring and energetic grace as she advanced through the field.  "There were a lot of runners ahead of me, but I went after them with all my energy," she says.  Among the...

London, England, 8/11/12 click here for complete results Men's 50 km Race Walk 1. Sergey Kirdyapkin (Russia) - 3:35:59 - OR 2. Jared Tallent (Australia) - 3:36:53 - PB 3. Tianfeng Si (China) - 3:37:16 - PB 4. Robert Heffernan (Ireland) - 3:37:54 - NR 5. Igor Erokhin (Russia) - 3:37:54 - PB ----- 10. Koichiro Morioka (Japan) - 3:43:14 - PB DQ - Yuki Yamazaki (Japan) DQ - Takayuki Tanii (Japan) Women's 20 km Race Walk 1. Elena Lashmanova (Russia) - 1:25:02 - WR 2. Olga Kaniskina (Russia) - 1:25:09 3. Shenjie Qieyang (China) - 1:25:16 - AR 4. Hong Liu (China) - 1:26:00 5. Anisya Kirdyapkina (Russia) - 1:26:26 ----- 11. Masumi Fuchise (Japan) - 1:28:41 18. Mayumi Kawasaki (Japan) - 1:30:20 37. Kumi Otoshi (Japan) - 1:33:50 Men's 4x100 m Relay Final 1. Jamaica - 36.84 - WR 2. U.S.A. - 37.04 - NR 3. Trinidad & Tobago - 38.12 4. France - 38.16 5. Japan (Yamagata/Eriguchi/Takahira/Iizuka) - 38.35 6. Netherlands - 38.39 7. Australia - 38.43 DQ - ...

London, England, 8/8/12 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m Heat One 1. Hayle Ibrahimov (Azerbaijan) - 13:25.23 - Q 2. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (Kenya) - 13:25.64 - Q 3. Mohamed Farah (U.K.) - 13:26.00 - Q 4. Lopez Lomong (U.S.A.) - 13:26.16 - Q 5. Hagos Gebrehiwet (Ethiopia) - 13:26.16 - Q 6. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) - 13:27.06 7. Arne Gabius (Germany) - 13:28.01 8. Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 13:28.71 9. Moukheld Al-Outaibi (Saudi Arabia) - 13:31.47 10. Bilisuma Shugi (Bahrain) - 13:31.84 ----- 12. Yuki Sato (Japan) - 13:38.22 Men's 200 m Semi-Final One 1. Yohan Blake (Jamaica) - 20.01 - Q 2. Wallace Spearmon (U.S.A.) - 20.02 - Q 3. Christophe Lemaitre (France) - 20.03 - q ----- 8. Kei Takase (Japan) - 20.70 Men's 200 m Semi-Final Three 1. Churandy Martina (Netherlands) - 20.17 - Q 2. Warren Weir (Jamaica) - 20.28 - Q 3. Christian Malcom (U.K.) - 20.51 ----- 6. Shinji Takahira (Japan) - 20.77 Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Round...

by Brett Larner Japan's field contingent at the London Olympics is small, but every member is a world-level medalist, national record holder or national collegiate record holder.  Most eyes will be upon 2011 Daegu World Championships and 2004 Athens Olympics men's hammer throw gold medalist Koji Murofushi  (Mizuno), who has previously indicated the intent to retire following London.  Murofushi was on top of his game in Daegu, but this spring he was lying low, taking his record 18th-straight national title with a throw of only 72.85 m.  Such a minimal-effort performance raised concerns about his fitness, but Murofushi typically brings his best to the major championships and, if fit, should move up far in the standings from his low-level seeded position. If any other Japanese athletes are likely to figure into the top of the competition it will be in the men's javelin throw, where 2009 Berlin World Championships bronze medalist Yukifumi Murakami  (Suzuki Hamam...

by Brett Larner Day Two of the 2012 Japanese Olympic Trials was bracketed by two classic performances, one an Olympic-qualifying national record and the other an unforgettable duel between a World Championships medalist and the best of the next generation.  Five athletes altogether met the Federation's requirement of a win and an Olympic A-standard mark to secure their places on the London team, while another half-dozen stand a good chance of joining them. The national record came without warning in the women's pole vault, where Tomomi Abiko  (Shiga Lake Stars AC) executed a large PB to unexpectedly clear 4.40 m, a new NR by 4 cm and the first-ever Japanese woman's mark hitting the Olympic B-standard.  Abiko was short of the A-standard mark, but with no other Japanese woman qualified for the Olympics in the pole vault it is hard to see her staying home.  Less certain is the fate of women's 100 mH champion Ayako Kimura  (Team Edion), who like Abiko only holds...