Kayoko Fukushi of Japan (© Rikujyo Kyogi Magazine)
The 89th Japanese national championships, which double as the qualification meet for the World Championships in Helsinki, are being held in the national stadium in Tokyo starting Thursday 2 June.
The highlight of the first day was the women’s 10,000m, where ten runners broke 32 minutes and seventeen more runners broke 33 minutes. Yumi Sato led the race initially and Miki Oyama took over the lead after 2000m, but it was a marathon runner Hiromi Ominami who made the race an honest one.
Helsinki squad at stake
Realizing that she needs to run under 31:40 in order to make the Helsinki team, Ominami started to force the race before 3000m. The front pack started to thin out after passing 5000m in 15:56 and Terumi Asoshina, one of the favourite in the race, was dropped from the lead pack at 7200m.
The next big move took place at 8500m when Kayoko Fukushi surged; she covered the stretch between 8400m to 8800m in 71 seconds, and thus broke away from the group of five - Hiromi Ominami, Yumi Sato, Kazue Ogoshi, Hitomi Miyai, and Harumi Hiroyama. By 8800m she was five seconds ahead of her pursuers.
Fukushi won in 31:30.82, while Hiroyama, Ominami and Miyai battled hard over the final 200m and also finished under the World Championships “A” standard, 31:40. Because Hiroyama is already selected for the marathon, Fukushi, Ominami and Miyai are most likely to run the 10,000m in Helsinki.
Suetsugu out injured
In the absence of Shingo Suetsugu, defending champion Shinji Takahira won the 200m in 20.89.
“It would have been nice to run a fast time, but I was aiming to make the World Championships’ team today. So I am happy,” said Takahira, who ran almost side by side with Yoshino before pulling away from him after 150m.
Suetsugu pulled out of the championships in the last minute citing problem with his left knee, the same injury that kept him away from the Osaka GP. Twenty-year-old Takahira twice travelled to the US during the winter to be advised by Tom Tellez, a famed coach of Carl Lewis.
Three winning streaks at the nationals were extended. National record holder Yoshitaka Iwamizu won the 3000m Steeplechase in 8:32.41 thus extending his streak at the national championships to five. Shigeo Hatakeyama did even better at the Discus Throw; he won in 54.25m thus extending his winning streak to seven at the nationals. Finally an Olympian and three-time champion Shin-ichi Terano won the Long Jump with 7.78m.
High School hopeful takes 800m win
It is hoped that the young up and coming generation will prove that Japanese middle distance runners are also capable of good thing. A high school junior (born in 1988) Yurika Kobayashi, who later said, “The nationals are a great opportunity to run with the runners in the corporate team. Today I ran with the mindset of a challenger and was determined to set a high school record,” won the women’s 1500m in the high school record time of 4:14.55.
She thus broke a record previously held by two-time Olympian Yoshiko Ichikawa. Kuwashiro led from the start and passed 800m in 2:17.71, but Kobayashi came up to her shoulder with one lap to go. Kobayashi then made a strong move after 1200m (3:28.71) and pulled away convincingly in the home straight. The record was one of the Kobayashi’s goals for the year.
Finishing second in the race was Yukari Soh, a daughter of Olympic marathon fourth placer Takeshi Soh.
Nineteen years old Yoshihiro Shimodaira, a college junior, sprinted down the home straight to win a superb 800m in 1:48.54, personal best by more than one second. He declared: “I cannot describe my feeling with words.” The 2004 national junior champion Shimodaira broke 1:50 for the first time this season when he won the Six-University Games with 1:49.72 on April 9. “I want to be a world class middle distance runner,” concluded Shimodaira.
Hurdles showdown expected tomorrow
The much anticipated showdowns in the hurdles are being set up nicely. First, four-times defending champion, national record holder and Edmonton bronze medalist Dai Tamesue won the second semi-final of the 400m Hurdles in 50.01, while the rising star Kenji Narisako won the third semi in 49.22.
In the women’s counterpart, five-time defending champion and national record holder Makiko Yoshida won the second heat in 57.78, while the collegiate record holder Satomi Kubokura won the third heat in 58.53.
The 110m Hurdles is even more competitive. The former national record holder Masato Naito won the first semi in 13.69, while the 21 years old high school record holder Yuji Ohashi won the second semi with the same time. Not to be forgotten is the 32 years old national record holder Satoru Tanigawa who was second with 13.80 in the first semi. Is the changing of the guard in making?
A high school sensation Yuzo Kanemaru improved his own high school record at 400m by 0.2 seconds to 45.69 in the first heat. It was the fastest time in the heats. How fast can he run? The semis and the final in the next two days are much anticipated.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF with the assistance of Akihiro Onishi
Results (only finals)
Day 1 (June 2)
Men
3000mSC
1) Yoshitaka Iwamizu 8:32.41
2) Yasunori Uchitomi 8:38.15
3) Hiroyoshi Umegae 8:40.63
DT
1) Shigeo Hatakeyama 54.25m
2) Shiro Kobayashi 52.69m
3) Keita Akimoto 51.12m
Women
10,000m
1) Kayoko Fukushi 31:30.82
2) Harumi Hiroyama 31:34.79
3) Hiromi Ominami 31:35.18
4) Hitomi Miyai 31:37.24
5) Kazue Ogoshi 31:40.34
6) Yumi Sato 31:48.95
7) Tomoko Hatori 31:58.49
8) Terumi Asoshina 31:59.01
100mH -0.8m/s
1) Kumiko Ikeda 13.47
2) Mami Ishino 13.70
3) Tomoko Motegi 13.87
TJ
1) Fumiyo Yoshida 13.28m (0.2m/s)
2) Hiroko Imamura 13.07m (0.6m/s)
3) Fukuyo Ihara 12.74m (-0.5m/s)
JT
1) Harumi Yamamoto 52.85m
2) Emika Yoshida 52.55m
3) Momoko Matsumoto 51.41m
Day 2 (June 3)
Men
200m 0.0m/s
1) Shinji Takahira 20.89
2) Tatsuro Yoshino 21.03
3) Yusuke Omae 21.28
800m
1) Yoshihiro Shimodaira 1:48.54
2) Hisato Suzuki 1:49.19
3) Masaharu Nakano 1:49.25
5000m
1) Tomohiro Seto 13:51.42
2) Yuki Nakamura 13:51.42
3) Takashi Maeda 13:51.72
And Kenyans running for Japanese corporate team
Mwangi Murigi (KEN) 13:05.05
Josphat Ndambiri (KEN) 13:05.33
Martin Mathathi (KEN) 13:05.99
John Kariuki (KEN) 13:12.55
LJ
1) Shin-ichi Terano 7.78m (0.8m/s)
2) Masaki Morinaga 7.61m (-0.6m/s)
3) Kenji Fujikawa 7.61m (0.1m/s)
Decathlon
1) Hiromasa Tanaka 7477
2) Yuji Oshima 7326
3) Atsuhiko Iida 7052
Women
200m 0.5m/s
1) Sakie Nobuoka 23.64
2) Asami Tanno 24.02
3) Rina Fujimaki 24.13
1500m
1) Yuriko Kobayashi 4:14.55 High School record
2) Yukari Soh 4:15.70
3) Minori Hayakari 4:17.45
WPV
1) Takayo Kondo 4.10m
2) Ikuko Nishiki 4.10m
3) Aya Yoshihara 3.90m
WHT
1) Yuka Murofushi 61.61m
2) Chisato Ohashi 60.40m
3) Kazuho Maki 58.13m
