japan running news

On Jan. 21 the Toto corporate women's long distance team announced that 2014 Asian Games women's marathon 4th-placer Eri Hayakawa , 37, will become assistant coach starting Feb. 1. Mitsuhiro Yamamoto , 55, who coached Hayakawa prior to her retirement in 2017, will take over as head coach the same day. source article: https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2019012100995&g=spo translated by Brett Larner

In the last major women's ekiden of the season, 2016 National High School Ekiden champion Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S. made up for their loss at the 2017 Nationals last month as they outran top corporate and university competition to win the 29th Kitakyushu Invitational Women's Ekiden . 5th on the opening leg, Osaka Kunei moved up to 2nd behind the Toto corporate women's team on the Second Stage thanks to a strong run from third-year Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu . Building on Takamatsu's momentum, third runner Ayaka Murao put Osaka Kunei 7 seconds ahead of Toto, fourth runner Hikari Takeuchi opening up their lead to 34 seconds, and its last two women Ami Taniguchi and Mai Misaki extending that to 48 seconds by race's end. Scored in separate divisions, Osaka Kunei and Toto were each awarded 1st-place trophies, but as the first across the line Osaka Kunei was only the 2nd high school in Kitakyushu's 29-year history to take the top spot overall. Local powe...

http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye2898668.htm translated and edited by Brett Larner The Princess Ekiden , gateway to the throne of Japan's ekiden queens.  28 teams competed Oct. 23 for the 14 remaining spots at next month's National Corporate Women's Ekiden Championships . The fierce battle to sit atop the throne started right out of the gate.  Its big movement came on the 3.8 km Fourth Stage.   Shuru Bulo , making her debut for toilet and washlet maker Toto , made up a 46-second deficit to put Toto into the lead by 4 seconds.  From there on out Toto sailed on smoothly and without straining to score its first Princess Ekiden title by 45 seconds over rival Noritz .  The win meant a fourth-straight appearance at Nationals for the Toto team.  Can they become the queens of tomorrow? More drama was to found further back in the field in the race for the 14th and final ticket to Nationals.  In 14th on the second-to-last stage, the Juhachi Gink...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/asia/2014/news/f-sp-tp0-20140911-1365110.html translated by Brett Larner Sanitary and housing equipment manufacturer Toto held a sendoff meeting Sept. 11 at its offices in Shiodome, Tokyo for company workers to voice their support for Incheon Asian Games women's marathon team member Eri Hayakawa , 32, and other Toto-sponsored athletes.  Three athletes were feted including members of the Asian Paralympics team.  Hayakawa vowed to supporters that she would go for the gold medal, telling them, "As a national representative I am aware of my responsibility, and I will do my best to produce results that will let me finish with the best kind of smile and bring you all back good news." The Toto-sponsored athletes competing in the Paralympics are women's wheelchair basketball player Chihiro Kitada , 25, and women's wheelchair tennis player Miho Nijo , 33.  Using language chock full of Kansai slang, Takada made the full house laugh ...

h ttp://www.sanyo.oni.co.jp/feature/sports/other/2014/02/05/20140205113852.html translated and edited by Brett Larner Having developed  Kojokan H.S.  of Ihara, Okayama into an ekiden powerhouse with two National High School Girls Ekiden Championships titles under his leadership with an all-star cast of alumni including London Olympians Hitomi Niiya  (Team Univ. Ent.) and Risa Shigetomo  (Team Tenmaya), head coach Yoshitoshi Morimasa  has announced that he will leave the team to take over as head coach at the Toto women's corporate team in Kita-Kyushu beginning in April.  On Feb. 4 members of the Okayama athletics community and local residents in Ihara held an event to honor Morimasa for his many years of accomplishment.  With his successor still in training, Morimasa will remain associated with the team in an advisory capacity. Okayama Track and Field Association director Yasuhisa Kandatsu  hailed Morimasa, calling him, "The single biggest c...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/080210/oth0802101755003-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner At the Chiba International Cross Country meet in Showa no Mori, Chiba on Feb. 10, 2nd year Saku Chosei High School student Akinobu Murasawa won the junior men's 8 km race in a time of 24:17. In the men's 12 km event Makoto Tobimatsu (Team Yasukawa Denki) was the top Japanese finisher, 3rd overall in 36:12. Hakone Ekiden star Yuki Sato (Tokai University) was a disappointing 28th, while Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) did not start. Kazuka Wakatsuki (Team Toto) was the top Japanese finisher in the women's 6 km race, also 3rd overall in 20:20. Along with the Fukuoka International Cross Country meet on Mar. 1, this race was one of the selection events for the World Cross Country Championships to be held on Mar. 30 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Complete results from all the meet's races are available here . The IAAF's report on the meet is here . Their preview, with some go...