japan running news

The JAAF has announced a few changes to the lineup for Japan's team for the rescheduled World Half Marathon Championships Oct. 17 in Gdynia, Poland. Gone but not forgotten are men's Olympic marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu), 1:01:40 at January's Takanezawa Half, and second-tier women's team members Rui Aoyama (Universal Entertainment) and Toshika Tamura (Hitachi). In their places are track star Yuki Sato (Nissin Shokuhin), 1:01:06 in Marugame this February, and marathon heavy hitters Honami Maeda (Tenmaya) and Yuka Ando (Wacoal) with half marathon bests of 1:09:08 and 1:09:38, both from last December's Sanyo Ladies Half. Overall it's a step up in quality for the Japanese team if the World Half happens as planned. World Half Marathon Championships Japanese Team Gdynia, Poland, 10/17/20 complete listing times listed are best in last three years except where noted Men Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) - 1:00:06 (Marugame 2020) Kiyoshi Koga (...

The JAAF has announced the Japanese team for next month's World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland. Six of the ten men and women are fresh off PBs at the Marugame Half and National Corporate Half earlier this month, with three of the other four having set new bests since December. Set to be elevated from runner-up to winner of December's Fukuoka International Marathon after the bust of Moroccan El Mahjoub Dazza , Taku Fujimoto (Toyota) leads the men's team with an all-time Japanese #2 1:00:06 in Marugame. Three other men on the team including amateur Takahiro Nakamura (Kyocera Kagoshima) broke 1:01 at the National Corporate Half two weeks ago. The only man on the the team not to have cleared 1:01 yet is 2020 Olympic marathon trials winner Shogo Nakamura (Fujitsu), who ran a PB 1:01:40 at January's Takanezawa Half. National Corporate Half winner Kaena Takeyama (Daihatsu) is the top-ranked woman with a 1:09:12,  followed by Sara Miyake (Tenmaya), 3r...

2020 Japanese track and road distance running rankings. Overall rankings are calculated using runners' times and placings in races over 5000 m, 10000 m, half-marathon and marathon and the strength of these performances relative to others in the top ten in each category. Click any image to enlarge. Past years: 2019  ・  2018  ・  2017  ・  2016   ・  2015  ・  2014  ・  2013  ・  2012  ・  2011 © 2020 Brett Larner,  all rights reserved

Ecopa Stadium, Shizuoka, 5/3/12 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m 1. Paul Tanui (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 13:19.18 2. Patrick Mutunga (Kenya/Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:21.22 3. John Thuo (Kenya/Team Toyota) - 13:23.41 4. Martin Mathathi (Kenya/Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 13:27.06 5. Edward Waweru (Kenya/Team NTN) - 13:41.56 6. Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:46.35 7. Kazuharu Takai (Team Kyudenko) - 14:00.31 8. Hayato Saito (Team Honda) - 14:05.13 9. Yusei Nakao (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 14:08.95 10. Wataru Ueno (Komazawa Univ.) - 14:18.77 Women's 5000 m 1. Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:30.95 2. Ai Igarashi - 15:31.72 (Team Sysmex) - 15:31.72 3. Susan Wairimu (Kenya) - 15:31.74 4. Grace Kimanzi (Kenya/Team Starts) - 15:32.23 5. Yurie Doi (Team Starts) - 15:37.32 6. Megumi Kinukawa (Mizuno) - 15:40.73 7. Doricah Obare (Kenya/Team Hitachi) - 15:43.95 8. Mai Ishibashi (Team Denso) - 15:45.25 9. Felista Wanjugu (Kenya/Team Univ. Ent.) - 1...

2012 Oda Memorial Track & Field Meet Big Arch Stadium, Hiroshima, Apr. 28-29, 2012 click here for complete results Women's Grand Prix 5000 m 1. Sally Chepyego (Kenya/Team Kyudenko) - 15:19.27 2. Beatrice Wainaina Murugi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:38.71 3. Toshika Tamura (Matsuyama Univ.) - 15:49.11 4. Ayame Takagi (Meijo Univ.) - 15:54.80 5. Yoko Aizu (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 15:57.38 6. Azusa Kurusu (Juntendo Univ.) - 16:07.19 7. Yuka Ando (Team Mizuno) - 16:10.19 8. Sayuri Sendo (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:10.85 9. Michi Numata (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 16:18.85 10. Mika Tanimizu (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 16:22.46 Men's Grand Prix 5000 m 1. Charles Ndirangu (Kenya/Team JFE Steel) - 13:36.29 2. Jeremiah Karemi (Kenya/Toyokawa H.S.) - 13:40.64 3. Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:42.27 4. Ryo Matsumoto (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 13:46.02 5. Yasuhito Ikeda (Team NTT Nishi Nihon) - 13:46.58 6. Yasuhiro Tago (Team Chugoku Denryoku)...

by Brett Larner Toyo University's Yuta Shitara  has had a busy last month.  After a 1:01:48 PB at the March 18 New York City Half Marathon he beat marathoner Yuki Kawauchi  (Saitama Pref.) over ten miles on April 1 and set a meet record for 3000 m on April 8 before travelling to Lodz, Poland for the 18th World University Cross-Country Championships on April 15.  Leading the first part of the race and working together with Tokai University's Daichi Motomura to control the pace, Shitara ended up going head-to-head against Algerian Abdelmajed Touil  for the win but falling four seconds short as Touil outkicked him for the win, 29:11 to 29:15.  Leading at halfway, Motomura hung on to 3rd in 29:22.  Komazawa University's Kazuhiro Kuga  placed 7th and Daito Bunka University's Hiroshi Ichida , like Shitara an identical twin, 24th to give the Japanese men the team gold medal alongside Shitara and Motomura's individual silver and bronze.  T...

by Brett Larner A week out from the National University Ekiden Championships, the Kanto region men's scene became even more complicated as Izumo Ekiden runner-up Komazawa University, already holding ten men with sub-14 PBs for 5000 m, six of them with 10000 m bests under 29 minutes, added another name to its top ranks.  Junior Toshiaki Nishizawa  took nearly a minute off his 10000 m PB as he finished 13th in the Nittai Univ. Time Trials 10000 m A-heat in 28:51.05 to give Komazawa crucial depth beyond the ten men necessary for January's Hakone Ekiden.  Nishizawa's step up puts further pressure on defending national and Hakone champ Waseda University  and on this year's Izumo winner Toyo University . The injury-plagued Waseda's chances did take a turn for the better as sub-29 senior Takuya Nakayama , son of former 10000 m and marathon national record holder Takeyuki Nakayama , returned to competition after sitting out most of his sophomore and junior years.  N...

by Brett Larner The 2009 National University Individual Track and Field Championships took place June 12-14 in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture just south of Tokyo. An elective meet in which student athletes can choose to compete as opposed to September's team-oriented National University Track and Field Championships, the National Individual Championships offer a rare chance to see athletes from other parts of the country take on those from the powerful, Tokyo-centric Kanto Region. Coached by Keiichi Murai , the husband of two-time World Championships marathon medalist Reiko Tosa , Matsuyama University's Mami Sogabe and Toshika Tamura both broke the year-old women's 1500 m meet record. Sogabe clocked 4:29.03 and Tamura 4:29.10, with Ritsumeikan University's Hanae Tanaka getting under the old record as well in 4:29.12. New meet records also came on the track in the men's 3000 mSC, with Masamori Kabuki of Tohoku Fukushi University running 8:58.79 to mark the meet...