Misa Fujii
02/27/2024
(Last update: 02/28/2024)
Yamaguchi wins the battle with Igawa and crosses the finish line with a “1” (all photos taken by Misa Fujii)
107th Japan Athletics Championships, men’s 10km cross-country race
February 25 at Uminonakamichi Coastal Park (Fukuoka)
Winner: Tomoki Yamaguchi (Waseda University) 29 minutes and 16 seconds
2nd place Ryuto Igawa (Asahi Kasei) 29 minutes and 16 seconds
3rd place Yuta Bando (Fujitsu) 29 minutes and 21 seconds
4th place Hiroya Ogikubo (Hiramatsu Hospital) 29 minutes and 22 seconds
5th place Hiroto Fujimagari (Toyota Motor Kyushu) 29 minutes and 23 seconds
6th place Kota Murayama (GMO Internet Group) 29 minutes and 34 seconds
7th place Shota Sugimoto (Commodida) 29 minutes and 36 seconds
8th place: Sukuki Tsunuki (Nihon Sports University) 29 minutes and 40 seconds
Waseda University’s Tomonori Yamaguchi (2nd year, Gakuho Ishikawa) won the men’s 10km cross country championship held at Uminonakamichi Seaside Park in Fukuoka on February 25. This tournament will also be used to select representatives for the 2024 World Cross-Country Championships, which will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 30, making it very likely that Yamaguchi will be on the representative list.
Breaking a dead heat with Waseda senior Ryuto Igawa
Yamaguchi finished second in the Ageo Half Marathon last November with a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, 16 seconds, earning the right to compete in the New York City Half Marathon on March 17. At the Hakone Ekiden earlier in the year, he ran the 2nd section of the ace section and placed 4th in the section with a time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 31 seconds. He quickly rose to become the team’s ace, surpassing the record held by Yasuyuki Watanabe (current coach of Sumitomo Electric) (1 hour 6 minutes and 48 seconds) and breaking the Waseda University record for the first time in 29 years.
However, after the Hakone Ekiden, he was completely out. He also participated in the prefecture relay on January 20 as the leader of the Fukushima prefecture team, but he was “a little tired.” Subsequently, he ran the 10,000 meters at the Waseda University Competition on January 31 and February 17. He said he had ridden 220km the week before this race and arrived in Fukuoka tired and feeling unwell.
At first I didn’t force my way in, but gradually moved to the front.
When the race started, Yuichiro Ueno from Hiramatsu Hospital jumped out, followed by a large group. Yamaguchi didn’t get too far ahead, but was firmly in the leading group. Little by little they moved forward and at the end of the third lap, with 4 km to go, the leaders were Ryuto Igawa (Asahi Kasei), Hiroto Fujimagari (Toyota Motor Kyushu) and Yamaguchi. With 2km to go, Hiroya Ogikubo (Hiramatsu Hospital) caught up, reducing the group to four, but in the end it was a one-on-one battle between Yamaguchi and Igawa. Just before entering the final straight, Igawa momentarily lost his balance on the ground, but did not miss the opportunity to slow down and win the race. The race finished in 29 minutes and 16 seconds, with no time difference between him and Igawa.
Even before the race I knew that Igawa and I would be the two of us in the final race. The pace slowed down on the last lap and I could see that Igawa was saving for the last lap. He said that he didn’t feel capable of winning in the final sprint, so he made several points attempts with many ups and downs. He said that before the start, Igawa had jokingly told him: “If you compete at the end, you should give up (the victory).” “I had it in mind for a while, but I felt like I could do it” Don’t give up. The straight at the end was fantastic.” It was fun.”
Igawa (left) and Yamaguchi jokingly say, “I told you to give up (the championship)!”
This event is also a selection race for the World Cross Country Championships, but if you win you will be given a wildcard ticket to the Japan 10,000m Championships in May, so I had set myself the goal of winning. “I’m happy we were able to win,” she said with a smile.
Yamaguchi has a desire to compete on the track. He revealed that he entered this event even though he was preparing for the New York Half Marathon in March, partly to train for the 10km in preparation for the half marathon, but also with the intention of running the 5,000m again after the goal.
Keita Sato: “I want to compete well”
In April he will become a third-year student and will have to take on the role of a superior. Are you aware of it? When I asked him about it, he said, “Ever since I joined Waseda University, I have always wanted to lead the team, so I will continue to lead the team in that direction.” He said, “I “I always wanted to lead the team in that direction,” and he said, “I always want to win against strong athletes from other universities on the track.” He talks about his future and hopes to compete well as an ace in Ekiden.
I pay particular attention to Keita Sato (2nd year, Rakunan) from Komazawa University. Even though Sato is proving successful beyond just being a student, Yamaguchi also thought, “I wish I could catch (Sato) this year.” “But to be honest, if you can run at a 13 minute 09 second level (45, set at an indoor meet in Boston on Jan. 26), I think you’re still above me.” I felt like I had grown and gotten closer, but the gap between Sato and me had widened again. However, Yamaguchi also says he’s feeling a big response this February.
At the 6km mark, he also made the gesture of looking back. He was wary of Bando’s ability to catch up.
After Hakone, I worked on weight training to overcome my weaknesses, such as my lack of sprinting ability to compete against the world and my lack of confidence in tackling tough races like this cross-country race. He was able to address himself properly and felt satisfied, saying, “He (Sato) is competing against very high level athletes, but I’m just learning from my guys, so I think this has been an important month for my future career in athletics.” He shows some expression.
A player who can follow in the footsteps of his great seniors.
On the 11th, senior Ifuku Yota (3rd grade, Rakunan) won the Nobeoka West Japan Marathon. Yamaguchi says he was inspired by his seniors’ success and wanted to win the title himself. “This is the first time we have won such a big title, so I think it was a great title both for the team and for me.” Yamaguchi says his senior, Suguru Osako (Nike), also won this tournament in his second year of college, and he says he was aware of it. I have a growing desire to take the same steps as my great predecessors and become a player capable of competing on the world stage.
Yamaguchi still has a lot of room for growth. I look forward to your future activities.
“The Japanese are starting to be able to run long distances in the range of 12 minutes (5,000 m) and 26 minutes (10,000 m), so I will continue to work hard not to leave them behind. “
From Waseda ace to player capable of competing on the world stage. I’m looking forward to Yamaguchi’s future, which has great potential.
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