The 105th National 20km Jeep Walking Championship will be held, as usually happens, in Kobe on February 20, 2022.
The organisers of the Hyogo Athletics Association have already closed registrations.
In Japan, even more than in China, registrations close at least two weeks before the competitions, sometimes even three, to allow the Local Organising Committee to provide in time all the services that athletes need on the basis of actual numbers and not presumed.
Another Japanese prerogative is to always separate races up to 20km, thus avoiding seeing men and women compete together.
This year the program will be as follows:
- 8:50: start of the men's 20km
- 10:40: start of the women's 20km
- 12:45: start of the 10km U20 men
- 13.50: start of the 5km U20 women
The circuit is the historic one, designed on Rokko Island in the Higashinada district very close to the headquarters of the Kobe International University.
For those unfamiliar with it, it is a beautiful circuit, completely flat and no more than 5m above sea level, with two wide avenues, and two very wide buoy turns.
Together with those of Taicang and Huangshan in China and that of the Cantones in La Coruna it can be considered one of the most beautiful circuits in the world.
Very fast and racy, it is often the scene of splendid performances by top athletes.
The entries
20km men
There are 80 entered athletes. Among them stand out the names of Toshikau Yamanishi, Eiki Takahashi, Yuta Koga, Satoshi Maruo, Isamu Fujisawa, Tomohiro Noda, Hirooki Arai, Hiroto Jusho and Motofumi Suwa.
Yamanishi has a personal best of 1:17:15, but last season he didn't do better than 1:17:20
Takahashi has a personal best of 1:17:26, but last season he didn't do better than 1:18:04
Yuta Koga has a personal best of 1:18:42 obtained last season
All the others have season best 2021 under 1:21:00, but even much more interesting personal best
20km women
42 athletes are entered. The names of the top athletes are the usual.
Kumiko Okada who has a personal best of 1:27:21, but last season she did not do better than 1:29:56
Nanako Fujii who has a personal best of 1:28:58, but last season she did not do better than 1:30:45
Kaori Kawazoe who has a personal best of 1:31:10, but last season she did not do better than 1:33:15
Masumi Fuchise who has a personal best of 1:28:03, but last season she did not do better than 1:33:41
10km U20 men
72 athletes are entered. The four best times are credited to the following three athletes, and they are all personal best obtained in 2021.
Satoshi Okuno in 43:29
Misaki Kondo in 43:33
Fumiya Koga in 43:56
Atsuki Tsuchiya in 43:57
5km U20 women
There are 60 entered athletes. The four best times are credited to the following three athletes, and they are all personal best obtained in 2021.
Kaede Sonoda in 25:19.34
Haruka Nakabe in 25:25
Noa Yamamoto in 25:26.94
Kaede Higashi in 25:31
Lista degli iscritti completa - Full entry list