japan running news

Former marathon runner Douglas Wakiihuri  has been awarded Japan's Spring Medal of Honor, an award recognizing individuals who have make exceptional contributions to Japanese society and become role models. Japan has produced a lot of distance runners, but Wakiihuri was the first Kenyan to pass through the Japanese development system.  His contributions to the sports and cultural exchange between Japan and Kenya are held in high esteem. Speaking in fluent Japanese from his home in Nairobi, an ebullient Wakiihuri said, "I am very happy. I owe a longstanding debt to everyone in Japan. The joy I feel is not just mine, but belongs to all of them. I am truly grateful."  Wakiihuri joined the S&B corporate team in 1983. "I was just 19 years old," he recalls. "Japan gave me a chance." Under the leadership of the late coach Kiyoshi Nakamura , Wakiihuri won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 Rome World Championships and the silver medal at the 1988...

The 55th Oda Memorial Meet went off as scheduled Thursday in Hiroshima with off and on rain leaving a wet track for most of the day.  In the women's 5000 m,  Teresia Muthoni  (Daiso) set a meet record 15:06.76 for the win, with runner-up Naomi Muthoni  (Univ. Ent.) the only other runner under the Olympic standard at 15:08.07. Japan-based Kenyans took five of the top six positions. Kazuna Kanetomo  (Kyocera) won the B-heat in 15:55.24. Kenyans swept the top three spots in the men's 5000 m A-heat, with local high schooler Cosmas Mwangi  (Sera H.S.) taking 1st in 13:22.80. Keita Sato (Rakunan H.S.), who turned 17 in January, was 4th in 13:42.50, the 4th-best time ever by a Japanese high schooler and over 3 seconds under the previous U18 national record. The men's 3000 m also turned out high-level results, with Keisuke Morita (Komori Corp.) leading the top six under 8:00 in a meet record 7:53.01. Another meet record came in the women's 3000 m steeplechase, w...

 https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1107190/athletes-to-be-tested-daily-covid-tokyo

Having examined measures for dealing with the risk of coronavirus exposure, the Tango 100 km Ultramarathon was in preparation to take place this coming September. But with no end to the pandemic in sight, the spread of variant strains of the virus, and the lack of any timetable for vaccinations prior to the race date having been made public, we believe that it would not be possible to guarantee the safety and security of the runners, volunteers, race staff and other parties during the entire event. As such we have decided to cancel this year's race. We extend our sincere apologies to everyone who had been looking forward to returning to the Tango Ultramarathon after its cancelation last year, and we ask for your understanding of why we have had to cancel it for the second year in a row. We will work hard to create a safe and secure environment for the 2022 race and can't wait to welcome  you back to run the Tango 100 km Ultramarathon then.  Although the race is being canceled...

Even as several big races and meets canceled amid new states of emergency being declared across the country, two big two-day meets went off as planned this weekend. At Kobe's Hyogo Relay Carnival , Yuno Yamanaka  (Ehime Ginko) ran a world-leading 6:19.55 to win the women's 2000 m steeplechase. Both Yamanaka and runner-up Yui Yabuta  (Otsuka Seiyaku) bettered Yabuta's old national best in the little-raced distance, Yabuta more than 7 seconds under her old mark in 6:20.37. The national best mark also fell in the men's 2000 m steeplechase, with 2019's 3000 mSC national champion Ryohei Sakaguchi  (SGH Group) clipping almost 2 seconds off the old mark in 5:29.89. In the women's 5000 m, 2021 national university half marathon champion Narumi Kobayashi  (Meijo Univ.) the only woman to break 16 minutes at 15:57.87. Aoyama Gakuin University  runners took the top three spots in the men's 5000 m, new recruits Masaya Tsurekawa  and Aoi Ota  going 1-2 in 13:55.77 a...

Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee head Seiko Hashimoto  held a press conference in Tokyo on Apr. 23. Tokyo is set to issue a declaration of a new state of emergency which will run from Apr. 25 until May 11.  With regard to the declaration's impact on the May 9 Tokyo Olympics track and field test event at the new Olympic Stadium, Hashimoto commented, "It is still under discussion with relevant parties, but it is likely to be held without spectators. At this and other test events during this period we have to take stronger countermeasures against the coronavirus than ever before. We will do everything we can to ensure that test events go ahead in a way that prioritizes safety and security." source article:   https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2a4333c189d399d81db248809daf34c78aa32786 translated by Brett Larner

https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/will-there-be-local-spectators-at-the-tokyo-olympics-the-decision-may-only-come-in-june-042121

https://www.on-running.com/en-gb/articles/inside-ekiden-racing-with-haruka-yamaguchi