japan running news

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/kanagawa/news/20140714-OYTNT50555.html translated by Brett Larner Yokohama natives and graduates of the city's Eda H.S. where they made a major impact on the distance events at last year's National High School Track and Field Championships, 18-year-old identical twin sisters Kaori and Shiori Morita joined the Yokohama-residing Panasonic women's corporate team this spring with the shared dream of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  While working office jobs in the same division at Panasonic, the pair are pouring their sweat and tears into their training, preparing themselves with a solid base. The sisters began to run seriously their first year of junior high school and, both showing exceptional coordination and ability, together qualified for the 800 m and 1500 m at Nationals just a year later.  At home they studied running form by trying to copy what they saw in videos, devoting themselves more and more to the world of competition. At...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20130220-1087812.html translated by Brett Larner 2012 London Olympian and 10000 m national champion   Mika Yoshikawa  (28, Team Panasonic) will retire from competition to get married following her marathon debut at the Feb. 24 Tokyo Marathon according to a statement released by her team management on Feb. 20.  In the statement Yoshikawa said, "With my marriage coming up I've decided to retire from my career as an athlete.  Achieving my big dream of standing on the Olympic stage was the most, most important page in the story of my life."  Her future plans, she said, are, "to start a family."  Yoshikawa finished 16th in the London Olympics 10000 m and 13th in her 5000 m heat.

by Brett Larner 2012 was not a great year for Japanese women's distance running.  Despite a few outstanding top-end performances, including all-time Japanese top ten marks by Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) and Risa Shigetomo  (Team Tenmaya) and a slight improvement over recent years in marathon depth, overall the year showed a decline.  The death of Japanese women's half-marathoning has been the most puzzling trend; ten years ago over a half dozen Japanese women running times in the 67 to 69 minute range was a given, but this year only two broke 70 minutes, barely.  Depth was also down over 5000 m and 10000 m.  While the men seem to have turned the corner and have regained some upward momentum and positivity, Japanese women are still on the downhill. It wasn't all bad, though.  London Olympics track runners Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal), Niiya and Mika Yoshikawa  (Team Panasonic) were a credit to the country, saying to their competitors...

by Brett Larner Continuing on with its unique and entertaining format of alternating men and women on each stage the Nov. 23  International Chiba Ekiden boasts its strongest overall field since switching from separate men's and women's races, with London Olympics medalists Priscah Jeptoo  and Thomas Longosiwa of Kenya and American  Galen Rupp crowning the lists.  The race will be broadcast live nationwide on Fuji TV beginning at 1:00 p.m. local time.   Keyhole TV  has reportedly not been working recently, leaving limited viewing options for international fans.  JRN will cover the ekiden via Twitter  @JRNLive .  Please note that this is not the regular  @JRNHeadlines  feed, so follow both to be sure to get all updates.  Live results should be available after each stage on  the official race website .   Fuji's race website  is also worth a check. Defending Chiba winner and course record holder  Kenya i...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20121112-1046022.html translated and edited by Brett Larner On Nov. 12 Rikuren, the Japanese Federation, released the entry lists for the Nov. 23 International Chiba Ekiden , a six-stage, 42.195 ekiden featuring teams of three men and three women.  Thirteen national teams along with a Japanese University select team and a team from hosts Chiba Prefecture make up the field. The Japanese national team includes London Olympics women's 10000 m 9th-place finisher and 5000 m national champion  Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) and her Olympic teammate, 10000 m national champion Mika Yoshikawa  (Team Panasonic) along with top-ranked collegiate runner Suguru Osako  (Waseda Univ.) and past 1500 m and 5000 m national champion Yuichiro Ueno  (Team S&B).  The Japanese University team features three members of Izumo Ekiden course record-setters Aoyama Gakuin University, Takehiro Deki , Kazuma Kubota...

by Brett Larner As in the 10000 m, Japanese women did the lion's share of the work in ensuring fast times in both heats of the women's 5000 m.  Ranked well outside the top five of her heat, 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal) needed a fast race to have a chance at making the final.  She took Heat One out at a solid 3:01 and led the next three km at a steady 3:03/km, but despite going under 3 minutes for the final km she was outkicked over the final lap by the pursuing pack, falling to 8th in a season-best 15:09.31 behind winner Tirunesh Dibaba  (Ethiopia) who led three under 15 minutes in 14:58.48. It looked as though Fukushi might have a shot at making the final on time after 5000 m national champion Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) took Heat Two out slightly slower, but despite winner Gelete Burka  (Ethiopia) running only 15:01.44 a denser pack meant Fukushi was shut out.  Niiya almost tied Fukushi on time, improving from #...

by Brett Larner Niiya, Yoshikawa and Fukushi set the tone of the women's 10000 m. Photo courtesy Martin Lever, www.one-man-running-club.com The highlights of the first day of track and field competition at the London Olympics on the Japanese team came courtesy of two of the best people returning from the Daegu World Championships team. In the women's 10000 m, Japanese runners Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal), Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) and Mika Yoshikawa  (Team Panasonic) would have none of the slow pace the rest of the field set, breaking away as a trio to lead a 3:06 opening km, joined by Ireland's Fionnuala Britton .  Niiya, the 5000 m national champion and the greatest credit to the Japanese track contingent in Daegu, took over the lead from Fukushi after 1000 m and, showing no signs of it being only her second track 10000 m, held position until nearly 5000 m even after the Kenyan and Ethiopian contingents took the Japanese challenge seriously an...

by Brett Larner This year's Japanese Olympic track squad includes three women and only one man in the distance events, all of whom are scheduled to double at 5000 m and 10000 m.  The women's team features 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal), 5000 m national champion Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) and 10000 m national champion Mika Yoshikawa  (Team Panasonic), while two-time men's 10000 m national champion Yuki Sato  (Team Nissin Shokuhin) will be the sole Japanese man in the 5 and 10. Fukushi originally targeted the marathon in London, but after a failed qualification race in Osaka in January she regrouped and went back to the track, where she is already a two-time Olympian.    Sub-par throughout the spring, at the Olympic Trials she acted as an unofficial pacer for Yoshikawa to get the 10000 m A-standard, finishing 2nd in 31:43.25 but a lock for the team with a career 2nd-best 30:54.29 A-standard mark at last year's P...

by Brett Larner Post-typhoon rain brought in the first day of the 96th Japanese National Track & Field Championships , doubling as the 2012 Olympic Trials, June 8th at Osaka's Nagai Stadium.  The women's 10000 m was the highlight of the day, as five-time 1500 m national champion  Mika Yoshikawa  (Team Panasonic) tailed favorite  Kayoko Fukushi  (Team Wacoal) all the way to 9000 m before dropping a 2:57 final km to break the 31:45.00 Olympic A-standard for the first time and knock 27 seconds off her PB with a new best of 31:28.71.  Prior to the Trials the Japanese federation indicated that any athlete holding an A-standard mark who won their event would be guaranteed a place on the London team, meaning Yoshikawa became the first athlete to secure her place.  2nd in 31:43.25 just below the A-standard, Fukushi is sure to join her.  A distant 3rd in 32:20.34 as she recovers from wintertime injury, 10000 m junior NR holder  Megumi Kinukawa ...

http://www.townnews.co.jp/0104/2012/05/31/146074.html translated and edited by Brett Larner At the May 13 Sendai International Half Marathon, Team Panasonic's Asami Kato  (21) made news when she won in a PB of 1:11:21.  A week later her teammate Mika Yoshikawa  (27) convincingly won the 5000 m at the East Japan Corporate Track & Field Championships.  We talked to these two women who represent the 2011 National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships runner-up Panasonic's talented group based in the Saedocho of Yokohama. Set on the Olympics Yoshikawa won five-straight national 1500 m titles.  Switching her focus to the 5000 m and 10000 m last year, she is the Panasonic team's star runner.  Winning the 54th East Japan Corporate Track & Field Championships women's 5000 m on May 20 in a time of 15:33.48, she was awarded the meet's fighting spirit award. "I was focused on placing well to help me visualize Nationals in June," she says, look...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120530-959350.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The highlight of the first half of track season, the 96th National Track and Field Championships , is getting set to kick off June 8-10 at Osaka's Nagai Stadium.  Doubling as the Japanese Olympic Trials, any athlete holding an Olympic A-qualifying mark who wins their event at Nationals will earn their place on the Olympic team then and there.  The day after the Championships, June 11, the complete Olympic team apart from relay squads will be announced. Having failed in her bid to make the marathon squad, multiple national record holder Kayoko Fukushi  (30, Team Wacoal), will seek for her third-straight Olympic 5000 m and 10000 m double.  If she is anywhere near her normal strength there is almost no chance she will lose the 10000 m. If anyone can score an upset it will be Hitomi Niiya  (24, Team Universal Entertainment).  In her 10000...

by Brett Larner On the second of two straight weeks of regional track championship meets the most exciting racing came at the biggest Japanese collegiate meet, the Kanto Regional University Track & Field Championships.   Mai Shinozuka  (Chuo University) won the women's 5000 m to record her second-straight 5000 m - 10000 m double.  Looking to complete a 1500 m - 5000 m - 10000 m triple, Kenyan first-year Enoch Omwamba  (Yamanashi Gakuin Univ.) fell victim to Waseda University ace Suguru Osako , who came on strong late in the race to win the Division 1 men's 5000 m in 13:47.44 less than a second ahead of Omwamba.  The Division 2 race was dominated by two new African first-years from relatively unknown schools.   William Malel  (Kenya/Sozo Gakuen Univ.) won in a meet-record 13:25.82 as Leul Gebresilase  (Tokyo Kokusai Univ.), a rare Ethiopian collegiate, held of Komazawa University's Shinobu Kubota  for 2nd in 13:55.25.  Top-ranked Ke...