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Men's 200 m and 10000 m, Women's 5000 m and 10000 m Highlight National Track and Field Championships - Entry Lists

by Brett Larner

Rikuren has released the entry lists for this year's National Track and Field Championships, scheduled for June 10-12 in Kumagaya, Saitama. Among running events, the best races look set to be the men's 200 m and 10000 m and the women's 5000 m and 10000 m.

For men the 200 m features the largest number of athletes currently holding an eligible World Championships A-standard. Hitoshi Saito (Team Sanmesse) leads the way with a time of 20.42, followed by three others with low-20.5 marks. Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) and 2010 World Jr. Champion Shota Iizuka (Chuo Univ.) are also in the field.

Last year Japan had nearly twice as many men under 28 minutes in the 10000 m as the United States. All seven of them are on the list for the men's 10000 m at Nationals, along with the two leading men of 2011, Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) and Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin), the last three national champions Yuki Iwai (Team Asahi Kasei), Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) and Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta), and top-ranked university runner Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.). All told ten men have valid World Championships B-standards, making for a competitive and potentially dramatic race.

The women's 10000 m is likewise likely to be one of the best of the meet, with four A-standard women led by a revitalized Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) who earlier this season ran her all-time second-fastest mark of 30:54.29, and collegiate 10000 m national record holder Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.). World Championships marathon team members Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) and Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) are also on the list.

Although only three Japanese women in the 5000 m have run World Championships B-standard times within the current qualification window the lineup in that race is outstanding. Alongside #1-ranked Kenyan Ann Karindi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) are national record holder Fukushi, 1500 m national record holder Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki), 2011's leading woman Hitomi Niiya (Chiba Pref.), 2009 national champion Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya), 2010 collegiate national champion Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki), 10000 m jr. national record holder Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno), top university women Risa Takenaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.), Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) and Hanae Tanaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.), 2010 national 1500 m champion Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) and more.

Below is a listing of highlights from the entry lists for these and other running events. Athletes in bold type currently hold valid World Championships A-standard marks. Athletes in italics hold valid B-standard marks.

2011 Japanese National Track and Field Entry List Highlights
Kumagaya, Saitama, June 10-12
Men's 10000 m
Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 27:38.25
Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) - 27:41.75
Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 27:41.97
Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 27:45.59
Paul Kuira (Kenya/Team Konica Minolta) - 27:50.26
Tomoya Onishi (Team Asahi Kasei) - 27:50.72
Masato Kihara (Team Kanebo) - 27:52.75
Yoshinori Oda (Team Toyota) - 27:53.55
Takeshi Makabe (Team Kanebo) - 27:53.78
Kazuhiro Maeda (Team Kyudenko) - 27:55.17
Takuya Fukatsu (Team Asahi Kasei) - 27:56.29
Yusuke Takabayashi (Team Toyota) - 27:56.46
Yuki Iwai (Team Asahi Kasei) - 27:58.03
Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 28:00.78

Women's 10000 m
Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) - 30:51.81
Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) - 31:15.34
Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 31:30.92
Noriko Matsuoka (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 31:31.45
Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) - 31:31.95
Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) - 31:34.35
Ryoko Kizaki (Team Daihatsu) - 31:38.71
Hiroko Miyauchi (Team Kyocera) - 31:42.86
Remi Nakazato (Team Daihatsu) - 31:53.22

Men's 5000 m
Takayuki Matsumiya (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:13.20
Kensuke Takezawa (Team S&B) - 13:19.00
Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 13:21.49
Satoshi Irifune (Team Kanebo) - 13:22.12
Kazuya Watanabe (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 13:23.15
Yuki Sato (Team Nissin Shokuhin) - 13:23.57
Bitan Karoki (Kenya/Team S&B) - 13:23.85
Yusei Nakao (Team Toyota Boshoku) - 13:28.16
Tsuyoshi Ugachi (Team Konica Minolta) - 13:30.30
Suguru Osako (Waseda Univ.) - 13:31.27
Yuta Takahashi (Team S&B) - 13:31.37
Yuki Matsuoka (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 13:35.37
Takuya Ishikawa (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:38.38
Yuki Iwai (Team Asahi Kasei) - 13:35.67
Joseph Onsarigo (Kenya/Sozo Gakuen Univ.) - 13:36.88
Naoki Okamoto (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 13:37.71
Akinobu Murasawa (Tokai Univ.) - 13:38.68
Tetsuya Yoroizaka (Meiji Univ.) - 13:39.31

Women's 5000 m
Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) - 14:53.22
Ann Karindi (Kenya/Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:05.34
Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 15:05.37
Yurika Nakamura (Team Tenmaya) - 15:13.01
Kayo Sugihara (Team Denso) - 15:15.34
Hitomi Niiya (Chiba Pref.) - 15:17.84
Risa Takenaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:24.99
Kasumi Nishihara (Team Yamada Denki) - 15:25.50
Hikari Yoshimoto (Bukkyo Univ.) - 15:26.72
Hanae Tanaka (Ritsumeikan Univ.) - 15:27.55
Megumi Kinukawa (Team Mizuno) - 15:27.98
Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 15:28.44
Noriko Matsuoka (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 15:29.38
Tomoka Inadomi (Team Wacoal) - 15:29.56
Yuko Shimizu (Team Sekisui Kagaku) - 15:29.58

Men's 3000 mSC
Aoi Matsumoto (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 8:30.49
Jun Shinoto (Team Sanyo Tokushu Seiko) - 8:33.44
Hiroyoshi Umegae (Team NTN) - 8:34.96
Tsuyoshi Takeda (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 8:37.05
Satoshi Kato (Team Toyota) - 8:37.25
Masatoshi Kikuchi (Team Fujitsu) - 8:37.71

Women's 3000 mSC
Minori Hayakari (Kyoto Koka AC) - 9:33.93
Yoshika Arai (Team Edion) - 9:53.87
Nanae Kuwashiro (Team Sysmex) - 10:00.16
Azusa Saito (Niigata Albirex AC) - 10:08.47
Misato Horie (Team Noritz) - 10:10.59

Men's 1500 m
Fumikazu Kobayashi (Team NTN) - 3:37:42
Yasunori Murakami (Team Fujitsu) - 3:38:09
Kazuya Watanabe (Team Shikoku Denryoku) - 3:38.11
Yuichiro Ueno (Team S&B) - 3:39.52
Yasuhiro Tago (Team Chugoku Denryoku) - 3:40.36

Women's 1500 m
Yuriko Kobayashi (Team Toyota Jidoshokki) - 4:07.86
Mika Yoshikawa (Team Panasonic) - 4:10.00
Yukari Soh (Team Asahi Kasei) - 4:13.79
Risa Yokoe (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 4:16.90
Satomi Ueda (Team Toto) - 4:18.07

Men's 800 m
Masato Yokota (Team Fujitsu) - 1:46.16

Men's 400 mH
Dai Tamesue (Team a-meme) - 47.89
Kenji Narisako (Team Mizuno) - 47.93
Naohiro Kawakita (Team Ishimaru) - 49.04
Takayuki Koike (Team Mizuno) - 49.23
Takayuki Kishimoto (Hosei Univ.) - 49.27
Kazuaki Yoshida (Team Osaka Gas) - 49.45
Takatoshi Abe (Chukyo Univ.) - 49.46
Tomoharu Kino (Fukuoka Univ.) - 49.57
Yuta Imazeki (Team Aima) - 49.66
Hiroaki Masuoka (Yamaguchi TFC) - 49.76

Men's 400 m
Yuzo Kanemaru (Team Otsuka Seiyaku) - 45.16

Men's 200 m
Shinji Takahira (Team Fujitsu) - 20.22
Kenji Fujimitsu (Team Seiren) - 20.38
Hitoshi Saito (Team Sanmesse) - 20.42
Mitsuhiro Abiko (Team Mizuno) - 20.48
Yuichi Kobayashi (Hosei Univ.) - 20.52
Kei Takase (Team Fujitsu) - 20.53
Sota Kawatsura (Chuo Univ.) - 20.56
Shota Iizuka (Chuo Univ.) - 20.58
Ryota Yamagata (Keio Univ.) - 20.62
Hirokazu Taoka (Yamaguchi TFC) - 20.62

Women's 200 m
Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) - 23.13

Women's 110mH
Asuka Terada (Hokkkaido Hi-Tec AC) - 13.12

Women's 100 m
Chisato Fukushima (Hokkaido Hi-Tec AC) - 11.26

(c) 2011 Brett Larner
all rights reserved

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