Kawasaki City, in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo hosted the 87th edition of the Japan Intercollegiate Athletics Championships on Friday, September 7, 2018, a sort of Student Championships open not only to high schools but also to universities.
Both men and women competed, as usual for these championships, on the distance of 10000m track walk.
The start of the women's competition was given at 16:30 with a temperature of 29°C and a humidity rate of 68%, while the start of the men's race one hour later with slightly different climatic conditions (28°C and 67% humidity) but with a breeze around 4m/s that refreshed the athletes.
10.000m women track walk
There were twenty-six athletes at the start
Victory to Aguri Ashi (JPN) in 47:31.33 which is the new personal best of the athlete that until Friday boasted a 47:55 obtained this year on April 14 in Wajima (JPN) when she arrived fourth in the All-Japan Race Walk Meeting.
Second place to Serena Sonoda (JPN) in 47:40.78 (not far from the personal best of 47:23.60, Hiratsuka, JPN, June 10, 2017) that at the Wajima race in April had won the 50km women in 4:31:52.
Third place for Yukiho Mizoguchi (JPN) in 48:27.11 we remember two years ago to get eighth at the U20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz in 46:19.49, still his personal best.
Twenty-six athletes at the start, twenty-five funushe the race and 1 DQ.
10.000m men track walk
Thirty-seven athletes were at the start
Victory once again for Kouki Ikeda (JPN) in 40:35.34.
It is certainly not the personal best of the athlete who boasts a mark of 38:40.04 set in Kitami (JPN) during the Kitami Hokuren Distance Challenge when he came second behind Daisuke Matsunaga (37:58.08), but the season of the young athlete of the Japan born on 3.5.1988 must be considered very profitable internationally.
That performance still puts him in third place in the 2018 world list on the 10000m track walk.
He won at the Lugano Trophy (1:21:26) on March 11, when he appeared almost as a outsider even though on Oct. 22, 2017 he obtained in Takahata (JPN) a very good 1:20:48
But even more important was the victory in Taicang at the IAAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in 1:21:13
Second place to Masatora Kawano (JPN) in 40:42.50.
The same goes for the personal best (38:50.37) set for Kitami during the Kitami Hokuren Distance Challenge when he came third.
Also for him the international season has had some good satisfactions: third place at the Lugano Trophy (1:21:31) on March 11, but even more the fourth place at the Grand Prix Cantones de la Coruna (1:20:11).
Third place to Yuta Koga (JPN) in 40:56.34
Of the thirty-seven athletes at the start, thirty-three completed the race, 3 DQ and 1 DNF.
This is the U20 world leader of the track distance season, Sho Sakahazi (JPN).
Many thanks to:
- co-operation by Tomoya Ishii - JPN
- all photos by Risunon - JPN