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News27 Dec 2005


Japanese Junior talents shine in ekiden

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Kojyokan High School won the 17th annual girls high school ekiden championships, which was contested over the five stage half marathon distance course in Kyoto, with 1:06:54 on Sunday December 25.  It was the second fastest time in history behind the course record of 1:06:26 set by Saitama Sakae high school. 

Taking the lead immediately, Hitomi Niiya, 13th at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships junior division, covered the uphill 6Km first stage in 18:52, a new stage record, eclipsing her own record by one second.  While her previous record, 18:53, was set when she had to fight off Ongori Philes, a Kenyan running in Japanese high school, her new record was set while running the entire distance completely alone. 

“From the start, I was able to run the way I ought to run. I feel that I became stronger in the last three years,” said Niiya.  When asked if she was thinking about the record she responded, “Not at all.”  After the first stage, with Niiya’s record run, Kojyokan was 38 seconds ahead of the second place, while the co-favourite Suma Gakuen was in eighth place, 46 seconds behind Kojyokan.  It was up to Yuriko Kobayashi, 2005 World Youth Championships silver medallist at 1500m, to put her team, Suma Gakuen, in contention.  She covered the 4.0975Km second stage in 12:37 and thus moved her team up from eighth to second place.  Kobayashi improved the stage record by 9 seconds.  For the next three stage Suma Gakuen chased Kojyokan, and got as close as 13 seconds after the fourth stage, but at the end Kojyokan won by 55 seconds. 

Three weeks ago, Niiya run the 5000m track race in 15:28.70, the second fastest high school time in history; only Yoshiko Fujinaga, a bronze medallist in the junior division of the World Cross Country Championships, has run faster. After high school graduation next March, Niiya will be coached by Yoshio Koide, who guided Yuko Arimori, Hiromi Suzuki and Naoko Takahashi to the global championships medal.  Much is expected from Niiya. 

The High School Boys’ Ekiden Championship was contested over the seven-stage marathon distance course on the same day in Kyoto.  Sendai Ikue High School, an alma mater of Samuel Wanjiru, World Half Marathon record holder, won the third straight championships in 2:05:04. In its 56 year history of the high school boys’ ekiden, Sendai Ikue became only the second high school to three-peat.

Mixed fortunes for Ndereba and Johnson

On 23 December 2005 in Okayama Evelyn Kimuwei, a Kenyan who runs for Sunix Corporation, won the half marathon division of Sanyo road race in 1:10:47, while Catherine Ndereba, 2003 World Marathon champion, was second 26 seconds behind.  They were followed by Yurika Nakamura and Sonia O’Sullivan.  In the accompanying 10Km road race, Benita Johnson, 2004 World Cross Country Champion, won in 32:26 while Kayoko Fukushi, double national record holder as well as reigning double national champion, was two seconds behind. 

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