japan running news

Regional corporate league track and field championship meets are split between two weekends, with this weekend seeing meets in the Kansai, Chubu and Chugoku regions. At the 67th Kansai Region Corporate Track and Field Championships in Naruto, Tokushima, Yuki Ishii (NTT Nishi Nihon) and Sodai Shimizu (Otsuka Seiyaku) both went under the men's 5000 m meet record from 2007, Ishii getting the win in a new MR of 13:36.94 and Shimizu 2nd in 13:38.96. Takuya Kitasaki (NTT Nishi Nihon) took the men's 10000 m in 28:42.99 and Tomohiro Chimori (Otsuka Seiyaku) the men's 1500 m in 3:46.43. Yuta Koga (Otsuka Seiyaku) broke his own MR in the men's 5000 m RW, going over 19 seconds under his record from last year to win in 18:55.71. Marathoner Yuka Ando (Wacoal) and steepler Yuno Yamanaka (Ehime Ginko) went 1-2 in both the women's 10000 m and 5000 m, Ando running 32:53.12 to win the 10000 m on Friday and 15:44.99 to take the 5000 m on Sunday, and Yamanaka 32:56.28 and 15:48...

http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20170330/ath17033017380002-n1.html translated by Brett Larner The Iwatani Sangyo corporation held a press conference in Osaka on Mar. 30 to announce the launch of its new women's ekiden team on Apr. 1.  Head coach Hisakazu Hirose , who guided Mizuki Noguchi to the 2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medal, spoke of his ambitions for the team, telling the media, "There are three years left until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  I want to try for it." Nanami Aoki , who stood at the peak of the high school and university ekiden scene as part of the Ritsumeikan Uji H.S. and Ritsumeikan Univ. teams, and the other members of the initial squad of six were introduced along with the team's orange uniform.  The team dormitory in its home base of Mino, Osaka is set to be completed in September.  Coach Hirose commented, "Our first competition will be May's Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships.  My goal is to cul...

by Brett Larner Today's retirement press conference marks the end of the road for one of the sport's all-time greats, Mizuki Noguchi .  Noguchi is best remembered, rightfully, for her achievements in the marathon.  Five wins and seven top three finishes in ten marathon starts.  An Olympic gold medal.  A World Championships silver medal.  A Japanese national record of 2:19:12.  That time still a Berlin Marathon course record no one has been able to touch more than ten years later, the only World Marathon Majors course record held by a Japanese runner. Her gold medal win at the 2004 Athens Olympics brilliantly executed, her loss to Catherine Ndereba at the 2003 Paris World Championships showing her exactly what she had to do to beat Ndereba a year later on the bigger stage and then doing it perfectly, almost down to the second, breaking Paula Radcliffe in the process.  Her DNS at the the 2008 Beijing Olympics a national heartbreak.  Her co...

http://www.sankei.com/west/news/150524/wst1505240046-n1.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Holder of the 13:19.00 collegiate national record for 5000 m, Kensuke Takezawa (Team Sumitomo Denko) won Sunday's Kansai Corporate Track and Field Championships men's 5000 m in 13:59.67 with a surge over the last 300 m.  Having just come off a long season off due to an Achilles tendon injury Takezawa nodded as he said, "I'm almost back.  I've grown since last year." Starting this spring, Takezawa's former coach at Waseda University, Yasuyuki Watanabe , has joined the Sumitomo Denko team as head coach, reunited the pair.  A member of the 2008 Beijing Olympics team, Takezawa, still just 28,  was optimistic of making a full comeback as he said, "Coach Watanabe understands me better than anybody.  Having him around changes my mentality."  Translator's note: Two weeks ago Takezawa ran 13:37.89 for 4th at the Golden Games in Nobeoka meet, h...

2012 Kansai Corporate Track & Field Championships Baycom Field, Amagasaki, 5/18-20/12 click here for complete results Women's 10000 m 1. Miho Ihara (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 32:34.55 2. Yoko Aizu (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 32:36.22 3. Mai Ito (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 32:53.08 4. Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 32:59.58 5. Ayumi Sakaida (Team Daihatsu) - 33:04.23 6. Yuki Mitsunobu (Team Kyocera) - 33:04.80 7. Chizuru Ideta (Team Daihatsu) - 33:08.57 8. Misato Horie (Team Noritz) - 33:31.65 9. Chihiro Takato (Team Wacoal) - 33:33.43 10. Kikuyo Tsuzaki (Team Noritz) - 33:47.53 Men's 10000 m 1. Takaya Iwasaki (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 28:59.28 2. Yasuhito Ikeda (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) - 29:00.46 3. Ryo Yamamoto (Team Sagawa Express) - 29:02.11 4. Ryo Matsumoto (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 29:05.38 5. Noriyuki Nabetani (Osaka Police Dep't.) - 29:17.60 6. Kenta Iinuma (Team Sagawa Express) - 29:20.48 7. Kazuo Ietani (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 29:25.32 8. Sh...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/olympic/news/2009/05/16/02.html translated by Brett Larner Nobuyuki Fujita (68), coach of women's national marathon record holder Mizuki Noguchi (30, Team Sysmex) who withdrew from last summer's Beijing Olympics marathon with an injury to her left thigh, turned up at the Amagasaki Memorial Track and Field Grounds on May 15 to watch the first day of the Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Meet. Speaking of his star pupil's inability to resume training with reinjuring herself Fujita admitted that he had recently hurled harsh words at Noguchi, telling her, "If you keep going on like this then it looks like it's over." Noguchi has resumed jogging several times since her original injury, but each time she has begun training at a higher pace the pain has returned. Fujita recognizes that Noguchi may be headed down her last road but still seeks to encourage her and has adopted the motto "looking forward to running" as the theme of he...

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/general/track/news/20090516k0000m050136000c.html http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/090515/spg0905152044002-n1.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner On the first day of the 53rd Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Meet at the Amagasaki Memorial Track and Field Grounds in Hyogo Prefecture, Beijing Olympian Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) ran 33:13.83 to win her fourth 10000 m title at the meet after a two-year absence. Atsushi Igawa (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) won the men's 10000 m in 29:02.00. The 10000 m was Fukushi's first race since December's National Jitsugyodan Women's Ekiden. Suffering from plantar fasciitis after the qualifying meet for the National Ekiden, Fukushi dropped out of planned participation in February's Rikuren-sponsored national training camp in New Zealand. She is now on the way back. Six women took part in the Kansai Meet's 10000 m. The first 10000 m was a very slow 3:26, with the pace settling in to 80 seconds per...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/osaka/spor/200904/24/spor219690.html translated by Brett Larner Sidelined since November with plantar fasciitis in her left foot, Beijing Olympics 5000 m and 10000 m runner Kayoko Fukushi (27, Team Wacoal) will make a comeback at the May 15 Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships at the Amagasaki Memorial Park Track and Field Grounds in Hyogo Prefecture. Tentatively entered in both the 5000 m and 10000 m, Fukushi will be running her first track races in 7 1/2 months since last September's National Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships. Team Wacoal head coach Tadayuki Nagayama commented, "Kayoko's injury has completely healed. She's feeling the best she has since the Beijing Olympics."

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2008051800123 http://beijing2008.nikkansports.com/athletics/f-sp-tp0-20080518-361526.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Running for two-time defending champions Team Sysmex, Beijing Olympic marathon team leader Mizuki Noguchi ran the anchor leg of the 4 x 400 m relay on May 18 at the Kansai Jitsugyodan Track and Field Championships in Hyogo. Noguchi received the baton in 5th place but, despite being an Olympic marathon gold medalist and ekiden ace, was unable to pass even a single runner and came home in 5th. For Noguchi, who turns 30 on July 3rd, this was the last race she will run in her 20`s. "I did what I could," commented Noguchi afterwards. "It goes without saying that the 400 m is a speed race, so it was pretty tough. I did kind of want to end [my 20`s] with a little stronger performance than this, but I feel freed now to put all my focus into my marathon preparations." Asked for her opinion of marathon world re...