japan running news

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2017/03/15/kiji/20170314s00056000173000c.html an editorial by Kenji Fujiyama translated by Brett Larner At the Mar. 12 Nagoya Women's Marathon , fresh new 22-year-old star Yuka Ando (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) gave a straight up head to head challenge to Rio de Janeiro Olympics silver medalist Eunice Kirwa (Bahrain) on the way to finishing 2nd in 2:21:36 and becoming the fourth-fastest Japanese woman ever.  Debuting marathoners usually avoid taking on the impossible and keep to their own pace, but Ando stayed with Kirwa determinedly, saying, "To win you have to go with it.  Who cares what happens in the second half."  These days there are a lot of athletes running with the weak motivation of targeting the "top Japanese" position from the start, but even after coming in at all-time Japanese #4, when Ando said, "I still showed weakness.  I want to refine what I'm doing even more so that I can truly take on the world,...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/07/21/kiji/K20150721010773500.html an editorial by Kenji Fujiyama translated by Brett Larner With a crack of the whip from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , the controversial plans for the 2020 Olympic Stadium that have generated a storm of criticism have gone back to the drawing board.  Underlying Abe's decision, the news that the project's wasteful $2 billion+ USD price tag has disappeared is glad tidings indeed.  But the price was not the only problem with the plans. Official JAAF-certified athletics facilities are classified into four categories, with the World Championships and other major international events requiring the highest level facilities within that categorization.  Absolutely essential for a facility to receive the highest level of certification is the presence of an auxiliary track, known as a sub-track.  With no sub-track included in the plans for the 2020 Olympic Stadium, after the Olympics the JAAF woul...