Two national records, in the women’s 400m and 800m, were set on the final day of the Japanese national championships. Furthermore the women’s Long Jump competition was fantastic, which itself was worth the ticket price. In the men’s 400m, the high school phenomenon Yuzo Kanemaru became the first high school student to win a national championship in eight years. 

Record and Helsinki standard for Tanno

Before the start of the 2005 season, Asami Tanno, who was sixth at the 400m in the 2004 World Junior Championships, said, “My goal for the year is to clear the World Championships “B” standard.”  At the national championships, she did exactly that. She won the 400m with the national record of 51.93, which is also under the World Championships “B” standard. 

“I wasn’t even thinking about sub 52 seconds, so I am surprised.” She cut nearly a second off her own national record (52.88) she set last year at the Asian Junior Championships. The anticipation of a national record was already in the air when Tanno won her heat with 52.90, a mere 2/100th of a second short of the record, on Saturday despite the headwind on the home straight. 

In the final on Sunday Tanno, who said, “I am working on running aggressively in the first half of the race this year,” passed 200m in 24.8 and was never threatened thereafter. In the post race interview, Tanno said, “I first would like to thank my training mate at Fukushima University for making it possible for me to clear the World Championships ‘B’ standard.  I would like to keep training and challenge the ‘A’ standard now.”

Sugimori falls short of 2-metre clocking

Miho Sugimori won the 800m with the national record for the second consecutive year. After passing the 200m in 27 seconds, she gradually slowed, passing 400m in 57 seconds and 600m in 1:28, yet she still finished in the national record time of 2:00.45. 

After the race Sugimori said, “Because I was aiming to be the first Japanese to crack the two minutes barrier, I feel very disappointed right now. Originally I thought it will be difficult for me to break a two minutes barrier, but my coach convinced me that I can do it. I am happy to be chasing such a dream.” 

In 2003, after setting a national indoor record at 800m, Sugimori was forced to have a surgery. “Actually going through an injury problem was not all that bad, for I was able to find the happiness in simply being able to run,” explains Sugimori. “I am not sure if I will be selected for the World Championships team, but if I can run in Helsinki, I would like to advance as far as possible,” concluded Sugimori, who failed to advance to the second round in Athens.  

Fantastic battle highlights women’s Long Jump final

The most competitive event of the day was the women’s Long Jump, where Miho Hanaoka and Kumiko Ikeda battled it out to the end. Hanaoka took the lead with 6.30m in the first round and extended it in the second round with 6.40m jump. Ikeda then took the lead with 6.60m jump in the third round, but Hanaoka came back to take in the fourth round with 6.61m. 

It was Ikeda’s turn in the fifth round; she re-took the lead with 6.69m. However, it was not over yet.  Hanaoka also jumped 6.69m on her sixth and the final jump. Because Hanaoka had better second jump, 6.61m, to Ikeda’s 6.60m, Hanaoka took over the lead. Then all the eyes were on Ikeda’s final jump. 

She jumped 6.61m to tie Hanaoka’s second best jump.  And because Ikeda had a better third jump, 6.60m, to Hanaoka’s 6.57m, Ikeda, 2000 World Junior bronze medalist, was victorious at the end. 

Ikeda, whose father (& coach until she joined Fukushima University track team) passed away last February, said, “I gave everything I had. I knew my father was with me all the way.” 

Yuzo Kanemaru, a high school sensation, won the 400m in 45.86. Not only his time, but also his unorthodox running style is attracting a lot of attention. He fully extends his knees just before his foot makes contact with the ground. After the heat which he won in a high school record, 45.69, Kanemaru was featured in the TV sports news. Koji Ito, Asian 100m record holder, is quite impressed with Kanemaru especially after he learned that Kanemaru’s running style is the natural one for him.  Ito expects Kanemaru to develop into a world class quarter-miler. 

“I am a youngest runner in the field, only a high school student, so I really don’t have anything to lose. I was planning to go out hard from the start,” said Kanemaru who went through the 200m in 21.5. “The home straight was very hard,” said Kanemaru.  But nobody was able to make much of a dent on his lead and he won by 0.34 seconds with another sub 46 seconds clocking.

“My goal for the season is to run consistently 45something,” explained Kanemaru.  “Because I am a high school student, my foremost goal for the season is to win national inter-high school championships.  However, I also would like to experience the world class competition,” concluded Kanemaru. 

 Ken Nakamura with the assistance of Akihiro Onishi 

Results Day 4 

Men

100m   -0.8m/s
1)  Shinya Saburi  10.40
2)  Nobuharu Asahara  10.45
3)  Kazuyoshi Hidaka  10.47

400m 
1)  Yuzo Kanemaru  45.86  (YOB 1987)
2)  Mitsuhiro Sato  46.20
3)  Yosuke Inoue  46.36

10,000m
1)  Yu Mitsuya  28:09.89
2)  Terukazu Omori  28:10.97
3)  Ryuji Ohno  28:13.95
4)  Atsushi Sato  28:16.72
5)  Kazuo Ietani  28:24.55
6)  Takanobu Otsubo 28:26.97
7)  Yoshinori Oda  28:36.10
8)  Yuki Sato  28:39.21       (YOB  1986)
...
Kenyans
Samuel Wanjiru  27:41.64
Getanda Motiri  28:09.61
John Kanyi  28:18.97
Mekubo Mogusu  28:35.62

High Jump
1)  Naoyuki Daigo  2.18m
2)  Satoru Kubota  2.18m
2)  Yoshihiko Edo  2.18m

Javelin Throw
1)  Yukifumi Murakami  79.79m
2)  Ken Arai  74.15m
3)  Kazuki Yamamoto  73.99m
 

Women

100m  -2.6m/s
1)  Tomoko Ishida  11.84
2)  Sakie Nobuoka  11.86
3)  Yuka Sato  11.86
4)  Ayumi Suzuki  11.93
5)  Rina Fujimaki  11.95
6)  Momoko Takahashi  12.02   (YOB 1988)

400m
1)  Asami Tanno  51.93  National Record  (YOB 1985)
2)  Satomi Kubokura  53.50
3)  Makiko Yoshida  54.01
4)  Mayu Kido  54.51

800m
1)  Miho Sugimori  2:00.45  National Record
2)  Ayako Jinnai  2:03.99             (YOB 1987)
3)  Miki Nishimura  2:05.01

Long Jump
1)  Kumiko Ikeda  6.69m  (1.1m/s)   Series (6.24, 5.02, 6.60, 6.41, 6.69, 6.61)
2)  Maho Hanaoka  6.69m  (-0.1m/s)  Series (6.30, 6.40, 6.57, 6.61, 6.43, 6.69) 
3)  Yuka Sato  6.34m (0.7m/s)

Discus Throw
1)  Yuka Murofushi  54.88m
2)  Ai Shikimoto  51.46m
3)  Tomoko Yamaguchi  48.64m

Heptathlon
1)  Yuki Nakata  5905
2)  Chinami Yasuda  5274
3)  Sayoko Manabe  5215