japan running news

http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/p-gn-tp0-20090703-513564.html translated by Brett Larner National-level track and ekiden powerhouse Chukyo High School of Gifu Prefecture announced on July 2nd that a then-18 year old Kenyan man who disappeared two years ago while running on the private school's team as a third-year exchange student was found in Nagoya in April. The former student was discovered by Nagoya police when they stopped him on the street to investigate whether the bicycle he was riding was stolen. When asked for identification the Kenyan man, now 20, told police officers, "My visa has expired and I want to go back to my country," before being taken to the Nagoya Immigration Violation Prison. By the time of Chukyo's announcement the former student had already been deported. Chukyo High School Vice-Principal Hisashi Wada (46) discussed the case, saying the man had become an exchange student at the school in April, 2005 and had run in the National High S...

http://www.supersport.com/athletics/article.aspx?headline=Kenyan%20wins%20Gold%20Coast%20Marathon%20on%20debut%20&id=306758

by Brett Larner click here for race photos Just a week after qualifying for the World Championships on the track in their respective countries, Kenyan Gideon Ngatuny (Team Nissin Shokuhin) and Japanese Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) took their first wins at a humid Sapporo International Half Marathon . Japan's World Championships marathon favorites had mixed results but mostly finished far down the field in their last major race before August's big target day. Ngatuny, who was 2nd in the 10000 m at the Kenyan National Championships last weekend to seize a place on the Kenyan national team, staged a man-to-man battle against three-time champion and course record holder Mekubo Mogusu (Team Aidem), who was running his first significant race since a car accident in February left his coach comatose. Initially accompanied by university ace Daniel Gitau (Nihon Univ.), Ngatuny and Mogusu pushed each other through the first 2 km in 5:17. It was too much for Gitau who swiftly folded and...

http://www.iaaf.org/WYC09/news/newsid=51586.html

by Brett Larner The 2009 Sapporo International Half Marathon takes place this Sunday, July 5th. Most of the Japanese runners on this year's World Championships marathon squads will be using it as a tuneup for August's main event. In the men's race three-time champion and course record holder Mekubo Mogusu will take on Japanese national record holder and '09 World Championships marathoner Atsushi Sato, along with Sato's World Champs marathon teammates Arata Fujiwara and Kensuke Takahashi, young star Yu Mitsuya, and Mogusu's perennial rival Daniel Gitau. Gitau has yet to approach Mogusu in ability but after spending the spring focusing on 800 m and 1500 m track races he has honed his speed and may be the champion's toughest challenger. Defending women's champion and '09 World Championships marathon team member Yuri Kano will face her own World Championships marathon teammates Yoko Shibui, Yoshiko Fujinaga and Tomo Morimoto as well as Kenyan marathon s...

http://www.singaporeathletics.com/singapore-news/asian-youth-games-2009-athletics-results-day-3

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090702/oth0907020838001-n1.htm an editorial by Sankei Newspapers Editor in Chief Ikuro Beppu translated by Brett Larner and Mika Tokairin Japanese women's marathon pioneer Nanae Nagata passed away on June 27, far too young at only 53 years old. More people probably remember her by her maiden name, Nanae Sasaki. In 1985 her wedding was one of the Yukan Fuji newspaper's big scoops. On the day of her dowry ceremony Sasaki came to the house of her coach Kiyoshi Nakamura in Tokyo's Sendagaya neighborhood during her early morning training. As a young Yukan Fuji reporter I was there waiting outside the front door, and I said "Congratulations!" to her. Then the aging master appeared. Both were surprised that the media had found out about Sasaki's impending wedding, but as Nakamura admitted Sasaki inside he turned to me and gave a simple, "Enter." As I sat next to Sasaki, Nakamura implored me, at times stridently, at time...

http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/other/090701/oth0907012032021-n1.htm translated by Brett Larner Beijing Olympics men's marathon gold medalist and half marathon world record holder Samuel Wanjiru (Team Savas) of Kenya has withdrawn from the July 5 Sapporo International Half Marathon, the race's office announced on July 1. Wanjiru, who won April's London Marathon, was to be Sapporo's feature invited athlete but recently told race officials that he is dealing with the affects of accumulated fatigue and cannot race.