japan running news

by Brett Larner Three Japanese national champions took part in opening-round competition on the sixth day of the Moscow World Championships.  All three crapped out.  Them's the breaks, unfortunately. The men's 4x400 m relay team did better in its heat, delivering a season-best 3:02.43 for 4th but missing the cut to advance to the final on time, Brazil taking the slowest spot in 3:01.09. Moscow World Championships Day Six Moscow, 8/15/13 click here for complete results Women's 200 m Heat Four 1. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) - 22.78 - Q 2. Elyzaveta Bryzgina (Ukraine) - 22.84 - Q 3. Kai Selvon (Trinidad and Tobago) - 23.14 - Q 4. Franciela Krasucki (Brazil) - 23.20 5. Justine Palframan (South Africa) - 23.64 6. Chisato Fukushima (Japan) - 23.85 7. Melissa Breen (Australia) - 23.95 Men's 4x400 m Relay Heat One 1. Jamaica - 3:00.41 - Q 2. Great Britain - 3:00.50 - Q 3. Venezuela - 3:02.04 4. Japan - 3:02.43 5. Dominican Republic - 3:03.61 6. Sp...

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20130714-1157211.html translated by Brett Larner With August's Moscow World Championships drawing near, the members of the Japanese national team are building toward their sharpening phase.  While the world focues on the Diamond League, some of the Japanese team's star members will be competing domestically at the Twilight Games and National High School Championships. The July 28 Twilight Games at Shibuya's Oda Field will feature three members of the Moscow team, Ryota Yamagata  (21, Keio Univ.) and Kei Takase  (24, Team Fujitsu) in the men's 100 m, with  Miyuki Fukumoto  (36, Konan Gakuen AC) leading the women's high jump.  Yamagata, who beat teen sensation Yoshihide Kiryu  (17, Rakunan H.S.) at last month's National Championships, comes to the Twilight Games in excellent shape after winning silver at last week's World University Games.  He is a strong contender in the race for Jap...

by Brett Larner Day Two of the 2013 Japanese National Track and Field Championships was packed with great one-on-one matchups as the country's best went after positions on the Moscow World Championships team. In the men's 10000 m, the pace faded after starting out on track for a national record thanks to eventual last-place finisher Naoki Okamoto  (Team Chugoku Denryoku).  #4-ranked Chihiro Miyawaki (Team Toyota) took over from Okamoto after falling at 3000 m, but the pace continued to slip.  The only two A-standard men, defending champion Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Suguru Osako  (Waseda Univ.) reeled it out to a sprint finish for the second year in a row, and once again Sato proved the stronger over the final 50 m as he secured his place with a slower-than-expected 28:24.94 win to Osako's 28:25.84 runner-up finish. 2011's fastest Japanese 10000 m runner, Tsuyoshi Ugachi  (Team Konica Minolta) took 3rd, but absent an A-standard mark he will...

by Brett Larner Following the women's 10000 m meet record set yesterday by Hitomi Niiya (Team Univ. Ent.) and Seito Yamamoto  (Chukyo Univ.) joining her on the Moscow World Championships team, the 97th Japanese National Track and Field Championships continue today at western Tokyo's Ajinomoto Stadium.  Below is a quick guide to some of the day's best events, with the men's 10000 m, 100 m and javelin leading the way. JRN will be on-site to cover the meet live. Men's 10000 m   - June 8 There's been some momentum in the men's 10000 m this year, with three collegiates going sub-28 and two men hitting the 27:40.00 World Championships A-standard.  All of them are on the list for today's 10000 m, led by Suguru Osako  (Waseda Univ.) in 27:38.31 and defending national champion Yuki Sato  (Team Nissin Shokuhin) with a 27:38.25 best and a 27:39.50 mark this year.  Sato outkicked Osako for the win and an Olympic spot last year, and as the only two men wit...

London, England, 8/8/12 click here for complete results Men's 5000 m Heat One 1. Hayle Ibrahimov (Azerbaijan) - 13:25.23 - Q 2. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (Kenya) - 13:25.64 - Q 3. Mohamed Farah (U.K.) - 13:26.00 - Q 4. Lopez Lomong (U.S.A.) - 13:26.16 - Q 5. Hagos Gebrehiwet (Ethiopia) - 13:26.16 - Q 6. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) - 13:27.06 7. Arne Gabius (Germany) - 13:28.01 8. Daniele Meucci (Italy) - 13:28.71 9. Moukheld Al-Outaibi (Saudi Arabia) - 13:31.47 10. Bilisuma Shugi (Bahrain) - 13:31.84 ----- 12. Yuki Sato (Japan) - 13:38.22 Men's 200 m Semi-Final One 1. Yohan Blake (Jamaica) - 20.01 - Q 2. Wallace Spearmon (U.S.A.) - 20.02 - Q 3. Christophe Lemaitre (France) - 20.03 - q ----- 8. Kei Takase (Japan) - 20.70 Men's 200 m Semi-Final Three 1. Churandy Martina (Netherlands) - 20.17 - Q 2. Warren Weir (Jamaica) - 20.28 - Q 3. Christian Malcom (U.K.) - 20.51 ----- 6. Shinji Takahira (Japan) - 20.77 Men's Javelin Throw Qualification Round...

by Brett Larner Japan's field contingent at the London Olympics is small, but every member is a world-level medalist, national record holder or national collegiate record holder.  Most eyes will be upon 2011 Daegu World Championships and 2004 Athens Olympics men's hammer throw gold medalist Koji Murofushi  (Mizuno), who has previously indicated the intent to retire following London.  Murofushi was on top of his game in Daegu, but this spring he was lying low, taking his record 18th-straight national title with a throw of only 72.85 m.  Such a minimal-effort performance raised concerns about his fitness, but Murofushi typically brings his best to the major championships and, if fit, should move up far in the standings from his low-level seeded position. If any other Japanese athletes are likely to figure into the top of the competition it will be in the men's javelin throw, where 2009 Berlin World Championships bronze medalist Yukifumi Murakami  (Suzuki Hamam...

by Brett Larner On the final day of this weekend's Japanese National Track & Field Championships in Kumagaya, Saitama, three more athletes secured guaranteed places on the Japanese national team for this summer's Daegu World Championships, with five additional athletes securing the right combination of placing and time to stand a chance of being selected for the team. Below is a summary of results from all event finals held on Day Three of the championships. In noteworthy performances apart from the men's and women's 5000 m: -2009 World Championships men's javelin medalist Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) threw a meet record 82.75 m on his first throw of the day to secure his twelfth-straight national title and a place in Daegu. -Six-time defending men's 400 m champion Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) made it seven. Kanemaru was challenged in the home straight by Hideyuki Hirose (Keio Univ.) who finished less than 0.2 seconds behind thanks to ...

http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2011/03/31/kiji/K20110331000537600.html translated by Brett Larner Rikuren announced its list of athletes receiving special financial support in the 2011-2012 season on Mar. 31. Joining the ranks of the country's federation-supported athletes for the first time, Tokyo Marathon 3rd place finisher and amateur runner Yuki Kawauchi (Saitama T&F Assoc.) was officially granted B-class support.* Female marathoners Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) and Yoko Shibui (Team Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo) and male sprinters Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) and Naoki Tsukahara (Team Fujitsu) were downgraded from A-class to B-class. Only three athletes were categorized at the highest level, S-class; field athletes Koji Murofushi (Team Mizuno) and Yukifumi Murakami (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) and marathoner Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei). *Translator's note: B-class athletes receive an annual stipend of 1,500,000 yen, roughly $18,000 USD at current exchange ...

by Brett Larner On what will no doubt be one of the last summery days of the season, the 2010 Super Meet in Kawasaki took place under sunny skies on Sept. 19. Many of the major international stars including high jumper Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) and sprinter Christophe Lemaitre (France) duly picked up late-season wins, while all but two of the top Japanese entrants fell short of 1st. A summary of the results: 2010 Super Meet in Kawasaki - Top Results click here for complete results click event headers for video Women's 800 m 1. Elena Kofanova (Russia) - 2:00.46 2. Tetiana Petliuk (Ukraine) - 2:01.01 3. Ruriko Kubo (Team Deodeo) - 2:03.09 Men's 400 m 1. Nery Brenes (Costa Rica) - 46.14 2. Sean Wroe (Australia) - 46.27 3. Yusuke Ishitsuka (Team Mizuno) - 46.30 Men's 100 m 1. Christophe Lemaitre (France) - 10.26 2. Wallace Spearmon (U.S.A.) - 10.47 3. Ramil Guliyev (Azerbaijan) - 10.50 Women's 100 m 1. Tianna Madison (U.S.A.) - 11.32 2. Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido HiTec AC)...

http://www.shizushin.com/sports_news/shizuoka/20100402000000000020.htm translated by Brett Larner On Apr. 1 Suzuki launched a new track and field team, "Suzuki Hamamatsu AC," to replace its former corporate-league Team Suzuki. The new club is officially registered with Rikuren, allowing its members to compete in the National Championships, the Japan Grand Prix Series and other national-level events as well as to shoot for national team membership at the World Championships, Asian Games and Olympics. The club consists of 25 athletes including 2009 World Championships men's javelin bronze medalist Yukifumi Murakami and women's javelin team member Yuki Ebihara . The men's distance squad, always powerful at past years' New Year Ekiden, will now be turning its sights toward the marathon. 2007 World Championships men's 10000 m bronze medalist and 10 mile junior world record holder Martin Mathathi (Kenya) is planning to run his debut half marathon this seaso...

http://mainichi.jp/enta/sports/news/20100317k0000m050056000c.html translated by Brett Larner For the tenth consecutive year, on Mar. 16 Rikuren announced the list of athletes who will receive official financial support from the federation. Previously ranked as a top-level S-Class athlete with 3 million yen of support per year, 2004 Athens Olympics women's marathon gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) was downgraded to an A-Class athlete and will receive only 2 million yen this year. Noguchi was a member of the Beijing Olympics marathon team but withdrew shortly before the race due to injury and has not raced again since then. Three athletes received S-Class rankings for 2010-2011: men's hammer thrower Koji Murofushi (Team Mizuno), women's marathoner Yoshimi Ozaki (Team Daiichi Seimei) and men's javelin thrower Yukifumi Murakami (Team Suzuki).

http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=54901.html

by Brett Larner The big overseas names cleaned up at the Super Track and Field Meet in Kawasaki on Sept. 23, 2009. Tyson Gay, Allyson Felix, Gary Kikaya, Dwight Thomas, Perdita Felicien, Felix Sanchez, Tatiana Lebedeva, Teemu Wirkkala, Reese Hoffa and others all consigned the hosts' national champions to the runner-up spot or lower. Only women's 400 m national champion Asami Tanno (Team Natureal) and pole vaulter Takafumi Suzuki (Tokai Univ.) took the top spots in their events, while pole vault national champion Daichi Sawano (Team Nishi) and high jump national champion Naoyuki Daigo (Team Fujitsu) struggled with apparent injuries and could not clear the bar even once. Some highlights: Tyson Gay ran a relatively desultory 10.13 to win the 100 m, running even with national champion Masashi Eriguchi (Waseda Univ.) and Beijing Olympics 4x100 m relay bronze medalist Naoki Tsukahara (Team Fujitsu) until accelerating in the final stage just enough to ensure the win. Eriguchi appeare...

by Brett Larner On Sept. 8 the organizers of the Super Track and Field Meet in Kawasaki 2009 released the entry lists for this year's meet to be held on Sept. 23. As in past years the meet has succeeded in signing a handful of marquee names to face off against the best domestic athletes. Topping the bill without a doubt are American sprinters Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix, along with hurdlers Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) and Perdita Felicien (Canada), shot putter Reese Hoffa (U.S.A.), and long jumper Tatiana Lebedeva (Russia). The Japanese field includes most of this year's national champions and several World Championships and Olympic medalists and national record holders, among them Yukifumi Murakami (javelin), Masashi Eriguchi (100 m), Naoki Tsukahara (100 m), Chisato Fukushima (100 m), Momoko Takahashi (100 m), Yuzo Kanemaru (400 m), Kenji Narisako (400 mH), Daiichi Sawano (pole vault), Asami Tanno (400 m), Asuka Terada (100 mH), Satomi Kubokura (400 mH), Kumiko Imura ...

by Brett Larner Following Yoshimi Ozaki's silver medal in the women's marathon, little-known Yukifumi Murakami earned Japan its second medal of this year's World Championships with a bronze in the men's javelin . Coming into the qualification round with a PB of 81.71, only the eighth-best in the field, Murakami shot to attention when he threw 83.10 on his second attempt, earning him the number two ranking going into the final and making him the first Japanese athlete in decades to make a javelin final. With the national eye abruptly turned toward him, Murakami took the pressure in stride and again broke his pre-Championships PB with a throw of 82.97 to edge out Latvia's Vadims Vasilevskis for the bronze. Apart from the great hammer thrower Koji Murofushi, Murakami's medal was Japan's first-ever field medal. With this unexpected success he will return to Japan a star alongside Ozaki. 2009 Berlin World Championships - Top Results Men's Javelin 1. Andreas ...

Click here to enter JRN's World Championships marathon prediction contest for a chance to win a 2009 Japanese national team singlet. by Brett Larner In the absence of distance running events, men's javelin thrower Yukifumi Murakami turned in the best Japanese performance of the day at the Berlin World Championships . Murakami threw a PB of 83.10 to win his qualification group and was ranked second overall after the completion of the round. A javelin medal in the final would be completely unexpected but more than welcome to the Japanese national team, which with the exception of women's 5000 m and 10000 m runner Yurika Nakamura has thus far underperformed. The day's other strong Japanese performance came unsurprisingly in the men's 4x100 m relay , in which Japan won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics. With only two members of the Beijing team still active, this year's squad featured new blood Masashi Eriguchi and Kenji Fujimitsu teaming up with medalists Nao...

by Brett Larner The field events at the 2009 Japanese National Track and Field Championships begin at 1:00 p.m. on June 25 with the women's high jump. With one exception Japan is not really known for its strength in field events, but nevertheless a fair number of athletes stand a chance of making the national team for this summer's World Championships in Berlin. To be guaranteed a place on the team athletes must hold a World Championships A or B standard mark and win their event at Nationals, and in the majority of the field events there is at least one contender. Japan's strongest field athlete is of course its two-time Olympic medalist in the men's hammer throw , the half-Japanese Koji Murofushi (Team Mizuno). Murofushi will be making his 15th straight National Championships appearance and on the strength of his medal-winning performance at last summer's Beijing Olympics he is in all likelihood already assured a spot on the team. His nearest competitor Hiroaki Do...

by Brett Larner The 2009 Japanese National Track and Field Championships take place June 25-28 in Hiroshima. Winning athletes who hold a World Championships A or B qualifying mark will be automatically selected for the national team Japan will send to Berlin in August. Listed below are the top entrants in each event and the date and time of the finals. Athletes in red possess a valid World Championships A-standard, those in black a valid B-standard, and those in white have yet to qualify. Color marks in the PB column indicate whether the athlete has at some point in his or her career met the World Championships standards. Click on each list for a larger version. Click here for track event entry lists, here for complete entry lists in Japanese, or here for a complete timetable in Japanese. June 25, 10:00 a.m. - Men's Decathlon 100 m June 25, 11:00 a.m. - Men's Decathlon Long Jump June 25, 1:00 p.m. - Women's High Jump June 25, 1:00 p.m. - Men's Discus Throw June 25,...

http://www.jiji.com/jc/c?g=spo_30&k=2009041900184 translated and edited by Brett Larner 2009 World Championships women's marathon team member Yoshiko Fujinaga (Team Shiseido) ran the 3000 m at the weekend's Japan Invitational Track and Field Meet , winning the distance for the first time. Asked about her time of 9:18, Fujinaga laughed, "I'm still not fast enough." Fujinaga won March's Nagoya International Women's Marathon, her debut at the full marathon. This weekend's 3000 m was her first race since then. Leading up to the World Championships marathon Fujinaga plans to run in the Hyogo Relay Carnival next weekend, followed by the 10000 m at next month's National Track and Field Championships. "Berlin is going to be fast," she told reporters. "To be honest I think I'm fifth on [The Japanese women's marathon] team, so I have to work on my speed before then." In other domestic weekend track action: - Naoyuki Daigo (Tea...