Kansai Gaikokugo University Women Qualify for National University Women's Ekiden for Fourth Time

In just its fifth season, the Kansai Gaikokugo University (Kansai Gaidai) women's ekiden team has qualified for the National University Women's Ekiden Championships for the fourth year in a row. Held in Sendai on Oct. 29, the race will be broadcast live on Nippon TV starting at 12:10 p.m. on the 29th. 26 teams from across the country, including 8 teams seeded from last year, 17 regional qualifiers and a Tohoku Region University Select Team will compete over the 6 stage, 38 km course from Koshin Gomu Athlete Park Sendai to Sendai City Hall Civic Plaza.

The Kansai Gaidai women qualified for this year's Nationals by finishing 6th in 1:43:17 at the Sept. 23 Kansai Region University Women's Ekiden. With 3 of the 6 places available to Kansai Region schools taken by top-placing teams from last year who were seeded for this year's Nationals, Kansai Gaidai finished 3rd among the programs that secured the 3 remaining qualifying spots. The Kansai Gaidai women's ekiden team was founded in April, 2013. A year later it qualified for the 2014 National University Women's Ekiden and has qualified every year since then. Its goal this year is to make the 8-deep podium.

source article: https://www.u-presscenter.jp/2017/10/post-38129.html
translated by Brett Larner

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