Track meet in Japan, photo by PhotoRun.net
Suzuki 31:18.73
NAGOYA (JPN, Jun 24): The 100th edition of the Japanese National Track and Field Championships kicked off Friday at Nagoya’s Paloma Mizuho Stadium amid on and off rain and the race of the day was the women’s 10000 m, where Ayuko Suzuki and Hanami Sekine worked together to both break the JAAF’s tough selection standards with success. Suzuki clocked 31:18.73 and Sekine 31:22.92 PB and standard. Third Yuka Takashima 31:35.76 PB. In the men 10 000 m Suguru Osako posted 28:07.44. In the women’s long jump Konomi Kai won with 636 (+0.5) sealing her trip to Rio after having already hit the JAAF standard of 6.84 m. The rain prevented quality marks in the men’s pole vault but couldn’t hold back an exciting battle between national record holder Daichi Sawano and rivals Seito Yamamoto and Hiroki Ogita as all cleared 560 in the mentioned order. Hammer legend Koji Murofushi made a return to the men’s hammer, but with a throw of only 64.74 m placed just 12th. Julian Walsh clocked 45.54 PB to lead the qualifiers in men 400 m. Women’s 100 m national record holder Chisato Fukushima, the only Japanese woman to have qualified for Rio so far, had a minor upset in the heats, taking only 2nd overall in 11.85 after some bad luck with a -2.1 headwind. In men 100 m semifinals Asuka Cambridge achieved 10.25 (-0.3) and Ryota Yamagata 10.26 (-1.4) over Yoshihide Kiryu 10.29 in second one. Keisuke Nozawa with 49.22 was the fastest in 400 m hurdles prelims. Informs Brett Larner on his website.
