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Sani Brown Scores 200 m Title, Mukai Over Ishizuka at National High School Track and Field Championships Day Four

by Brett Larner
videos by naoki620



After taking 2nd in the 100 m and 6th in the 4x100 m, 2015 World Youth Championships double 100 m and 200 m gold medalist Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Josai Prep H.S.) scored his first national title at the 2015 National High School Track and Field Championships in Wakayama, winning the boys' 200 m final.  Facing a strong 1.5 m/s headwind Sani Brown took 1st in 20.82, well ahead of runner-up Jun Yamashita (Fukushima H.S.), 2nd in 21.21.  100 m champion Kenta Oshima (Tokyo H.S.) was only 5th in 21.44.  With an even stronger 3.4 m/s in the girls' 200 m, Oshima's teammate and fellow 100 m champion Iyoba Edoba was likewise unable to pick up a double, Tomomi Kawamura (Morioka Daiichi H.S.) taking 1st in 24.57 with Edoba 3rd in 24.71.



The showdown of the day came in the girls' 800 m, where 1500 m champion Chika Mukai (Shigakukan H.S.) faced 400 m and 400 m hurdles winner and record-setter Haruko Ishizuka (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.).  Ishizuka tried to lead start-to-finish, but biding her time a late surge from Mukai was enough to get clear and away to a second national title, winning in a PB 2:06.29.  It was all Ishizuka could do to hold off chasers Airi Ikezaki (Funairi H.S.) and Ayane Tokihisa (Shigakukan H.S.), all three finishing within 0.12 seconds of each other in new PB times, Ishizuka getting second over Ikezaki in 2:07.20.

Boys' 1500 m champion Kazuyoshi Tamogami (Gakuho Ishikawa) fell short of following Mukai to the double, 3rd in a close race that saw the top five finish within 0.39 seconds, Rikuto Iijima (Midorigaoka H.S.) winning in a PB 1:51.47.  The boys' javelin was similarly close, only 29 cm separating the top three as Rikinari Ishizaka (Kurayoshi Sogo Sangyo H.S.) and Shunsuke Yamamoto (Kaho H.S.) both clearing 66 m for the first time to challenge favorite Gen Naganuma (Takada H.S.), who ultimately proved too much for them with a winning throw of 66.75 m.



The boys' 5000 m final was held at 7:00 p.m., escaping some of the mid-30's heat throughout this year's Championships.  Kenyans Silas Kingori (Sendai Ikuei H.S.), John Kariuki (Aomori Yamada H.S.) and defending champion Paul Kamais (Sera H.S.), holder of a 13:21.52 PB, went out front, with Japanese favorite Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.), 13:50.51 last month at age 16, leading a four-man chase group.  With two laps to go Kamais, appearing to have taping around his right knee, abruptly lost touch with the leaders and slowed.  Over the final lap Kingori dropped Kariuki to give Sendai Ikuei yet another 5000 m title in 13:47.42, Kariuki 2nd in 13:50.94.  Kicking hard with 200 m to go, Hyuga easily escaped from his Japanese competition, and with just a few meters to go he overtook the struggling Kamais for 3rd in 14:02.72.  Kamais fell to the track after finishing and needed assistance standing and walking off, later absent from the award ceremony.  To his credit Endo came over to ask if everything was OK, a sign that sportsmanship is alive and well in Japan.

68th National High School Track and Field Championships
Day Four Highlights
Wakayama, Aug. 1
click here for complete results

Boys' 200 m Final -1.5 m/s
1. Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Josai Prep H.S.) - 20.82
2. Jun Yamashita (Fukushima H.S.) - 21.21
3. Wataru Inuzuka (Hamana H.S.) - 21.25
4. Kazuma Higuchi (Matsusho Gakuen H.S.) - 21.41 - PB
5. Kenta Oshima (Tokyo H.S.) - 21.44
6. Maiku Koike (Koku Gakuin Prep Kugayama H.S.) - 21.54
7. Kenta Katsuse (Saku Yakonohana H.S.) - 21.57
8. Ryohei Saito (Kunori Gakuen H.S.) - 21.68 (21.41 PB in heats)
9. Manaki Ibuka (Risumeikan Keisho H.S.) - 21.71 (21.43 PB in heats)

Girls' 200 m Final -3.4 m/s
1. Tomomi Kawamura (Morioka Daiichi H.S.) - 24.57
2. Sumire Sugiyama (Soyo H.S.) - 24.60 - PB
3. Iyoba Edoba (Tokyo H.S.) - 24.71
4. Amika Miyazaki (Hitsuyukan H.S.) - 24.74
5. Noe Shibata (Saitama Sakae H.S.) - 24.79 (24.69 PB in semifinals)
6. Marina Miyake (Kurashiki Chuo H.S.) - 24.81
7. Kanako Yuasa (Hiroshima Minami H.S.) - 24.89
8. Ami Saito (Kurashiki Chuo H.S.) - 25.30

Boys' 800 m Final
1. Rikuto Iijima (Midorigaoka H.S.) - 1:51.47 - PB
2. Haruki Nishimura (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 1:51.57 - PB
3. Kazuyoshi Tamogami (Gakuho Ishikawa) - 1:51.69
4. Tomoya Ogawa (Soyo H.S.) - 1:51.74 - PB
5. Tatsuya Nishikubo (Seibo Gakuen H.S.) - 1:51.86
6. Yuki Ono (Sendai Tohoku H.S.) - 1:52.91 (1:52.64 PB in semifinals)
7. Yoshiaki Motoi (Otani H.S.) - 1:52.96
8. Soichiro Sawada (Kansai Prep Hokuyo H.S.) - 1:58.32

Girls' 800 m Final
1. Chika Mukai (Shigakukan H.S.) - 2:06.29 - PB
2. Haruko Ishizuka (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.) - 2:07.20 - PB
3. Airi Ikezaki (Funairi H.S.) - 2:07.28 - PB
4. Ayane Tokihisa (Shigakukan H.S.) - 2:07.32 - PB
5. Shoko Fukuda (Matsue Kita H.S.) - 2:08.20 (2:08.12 PB in semifinals)
6. Hina Takahashi (Nishiwaki Kogyo H.S.) - 2:08.93 (2:08.88 PB in semifinals)
7. Atsumi Toya (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.) - 2:09.03 (2:07.63 PB in semifinals)
8. Haruka Arai (Honjo Higashi H.S.) - 2:10.25 (2:10.08 PB in semifinals)

Boys' 5000 m Final
1. Silas Kingori (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 13:47.42
2. John Kariuki (Aomori Yamada H.S.) - 13:50.94
3. Hyuga Endo (Gakuho Ishikawa H.S.) - 14:02.72
4. Paul Kamais (Sera H.S.) - 14:03.11
5. Kiseki Shiozawa (Iga Hakuho H.S.) - 14:05.61
6. Tomoki Ota (Hamamatsu Nittai Prep H.S.) - 14:05.92
7. Kazuya Nishiyama (Tokyo Nogyo Prep Daini H.S.) - 14:06.51
8. Rei Hasegawa (Toyokawa H.S.) - 14:13.97
9. Taiji Nakashima (Sera H.S.) - 14:19.18
10. Ryunosuke Omori (Sano Nittai Prep H.S.) - 14:33.10

Girls' 3000 m Qualifiers
9:21.07 - Yuka Mukai (Sera H.S.) - 1st, H2
9:21.25 - Rika Kaseda (Narita H.S.) - 2nd, H2
9:22.97 - Fukiko Ando (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 3rd, H2
9:23.68 - Tomomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 4th, H2
9:25.00 - Yuki Shibata (Kitakyushu Municipal H.S.) - 5th, H2
9:25.38 - Nana Kuraoka (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) - 1st, H3
9:25.54 - Nozomi Musembi Takamatsu (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 2nd, H3
9:25.60 - Miho Shimada (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 3rd, H3
9:26.85 - Helen Ekarare (Sendai Ikuei H.S.) - 1st, H1
9:26.99 - Kana Tsuchida (Niigata Meikun H.S.) - 6th, H2
9:27.24 - Mary Sipuko Manela (Kaishi Kokusai H.S.) - 7th, H2
9:27.70 - Yuki Munehisa (Saikyo H.S.) - 4th, H3
9:28.17 - Kanami Sagayama (Osaka Kunei Joshi Gakuin H.S.) - 2nd, H1
9:28.30 - Ryo Koido (Suijo H.S.) - 5th, H3
9:28.65 - Wakana Kabasawa (Tokiwa H.S.) - 3rd, H1
9:28.73 - Shinobu Koyoshigawa (Sera H.S.) - 4th, H1
9:28.74 - Yumika Miura (Yamanashi Gakuin Prep H.S.) - 5th, H1
9:28.96 - Kaede Mikata (Hanawa H.S.) - 6th, H1

Boys' High Jump Final
1. Keitaro Fujita (Hokuyo Kansai Prep H.S) - 2.16 m - PB
2. Atsunori Kitagawa (Niigata Meikun H.S) - 2.10 m
3. Riku Hashimoto (Kawasaki Tachibana H.S.) - 2.10 m

Girls' Long Jump
1. Maya Takeuchi (Setsu H.S.) - 6.09 m -0.9 m/s - PB
2. Kaori Takahashi (Kunori Gakuen H.S.) - 5.98 m +0.1 m/s - PB
3. Asuka Sasaki (Sanuma H.S.) - 5.87 m -0.6 m/s

Boys' Javelin Throw Final
1. Gen Naganuma (Takada H.S.) - 66.75 m
2. Rikinari Ishizaka (Kurayoshi Sogo Sangyo H.S.) - 66.65 m - PB
3. Shunsuke Yamamoto (Kaho H.S.) - 66.46 m - PB

Girls' Heptathlon Final Scores
1. Maya Kawaguchi (Otsuka H.S.) - 5097
2. Maya Shreshta (Higashi Osaka Prep Keiai H.S.) - 5011
3. Sayaka Ueda (Tsuru Gakehi H.S.) - 5004

(c) 2015 Brett Larner
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