Skip to main content

Japanese National Team Gathers in Tokyo

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20090806-527765.html

translated by Brett Larner

Members of the Japanese national team on Aug. 5 in Shibuya. Click photo for full-sized image.

Rikuren held a press conference and farewell party for the Japanese national track and field team at a hotel in Tokyo's Shibuya ward on Aug. 5. Serving as the national team head coach, Rikuren executive board member Susumu Takano reiterated the team's goal of at least one medal and six top-eight finishes, but added, "We also want at least 25% of our athletes to set season best marks." Men's pole vaulter Daichi Sawano (28, Chiba T&F Assoc.) and women's 400 m hurdler Satomi Kubokura (27, Team Niigata Albirex) were also introduced at the party as the team captains. With regard to men's hammer thrower Koji Murofushi (33, Team Mizuno), who has recovered from an injury but is behind schedule in his training, his father and coach Shigenobu commented, "We can't expect him to get any records or place well this time."

Translator's note: Athletes pictured above include, left to right:
Front row: Yukari Sahaku (10000m), Yuriko Kobayashi (5000m), Chisato Fukushima (100m, 200m), Momoko Takahashi (100m, 200m), ?,?
Second row: Asami Tanno (400m), ?, ?, Shintaro Kimura (100m), ?, ?, ?
Third Row: Daichi Sawano (pole vault), ?, ?, ?, Yuichiro Ueno (5000m), ?
Fourth Row: ?, Kensuke Takahashi (marathon), Satoshi Irifune (marathon), Yuzo Kanemaru (400m), Shinji Takahira (200m), Naoki Tsukahara (100m)
Back Row: ?, Yoshitaka Iwamizu (3000mSC), Masaya Shimizu (marathon)

Comments

Brett Larner said…
Well, that explains why Nakamura and Morimoto were in the park yesterday morning.
TokyoRacer said…
Is Sahaku tiny or what??
Brett Larner said…
Alas, the heartbreak of link decay...In the words of the master songsmith Matthew Sweet, "Nothing lasts."

And yes, Sahaku is small.

Most-Read This Week

Morii Surprises With Second-Ever Japanese Sub-2:10 at Boston

With three sub-2:09 Japanese men in the race and good weather conditions by Boston standards the chances were decent that somebody was going to follow 1981 winner Toshihiko Seko 's 2:09:26 and score a sub-2:10 at the Boston Marathon . But nobody thought it was going to be by a 2:14 amateur. Paris Olympic team member Suguru Osako had taken 3rd in Boston in 2:10:28 in his debut seven years ago, and both he and 2:08 runners Kento Otsu and Ryoma Takeuchi were aiming for spots in the top 10, Otsu after having run a 1:01:43 half marathon PB in February and Takeuchi of a 2:08:40 marathon PB at Hofu last December. A high-level amateur with a 2:14:15 PB who scored a trip to Boston after winning a local race in Japan, Yuma Morii told JRN minutes before the start of the race, "I'm not thinking about time at all. I'm going to make top 10, whatever time it takes." Running Boston for the first time Morii took off with a 4:32 on the downhill opening mile, but after that  Sis

Saturday at Kanaguri and Nittai

Two big meets happened Saturday, one in Kumamoto and the other in Yokohama. At Kumamoto's Kanaguri Memorial Meet , Benard Koech (Kyudenko) turned in the performance of the day with a 13:13.52 meet record to win the men's 5000 m A-heat by just 0.11 seconds over Emmanuel Kipchirchir (SGH). The top four were all under 13:20, with 10000 m national record holder Kazuya Shiojiri (Fujitsu) bouncing back from a DNF at last month's The TEN to take the top Japanese spot at 7th overall in 13:24.57. The B-heat was also decently quick, Shadrack Rono (Subaru) winning in 13:21.55 and Shoya Yonei (JR Higashi Nihon) running a 10-second PB to get under 13:30 for the first time in 13:29.29 for 6th. Paris Olympics marathoner Akira Akasaki (Kyudenko) was 9th in 13:30.62. South Sudan's Abraham Guem (Ami AC) also set a meet record in the men's 1500 m A-heat in 3:38.94. 3000 mSC national record holder Ryuji Miura made his debut with the Subaru corporate team, running 3:39.78 for 2n

Three Japanese Men Running 128th Boston Marathon

Back in Japan's golden years Boston was a big draw for its top talent in the marathon, but for a long time it was off the list of first-choice marathons as the preoccupation shifted to times. That started changing again in 2017 when 5000 m NR holder Suguru Osako made his debut there with a 2:10:28 for 3rd, following in the footsteps of other Waseda University alum who ran well in Boston including two-time winner Toshihiko Seko and the late Tomoyuki Taniguchi . Osako was 3rd at October's Paris Olympic marathon trials, putting him in position to be on the Paris team unless someone runs 2:05:50 or better at February's Osaka Marathon or March's Tokyo Marathon. Having run 2:06:13 in Tokyo last year but beaten by two Japanese men who both went under 2:06, there wasn't really any upside to Osako doing Tokyo this time. Osaka seemed like the logical choice, but like he has for most of his life Osako is following his own motivations and opting to return to the 128th Boston