The All Japan Inter University Track and Field Championships took place yesterday Saturday 18 September 2021 in Kumagaya.
Kumagaya is a city in Japan (just under 200,000 inhabitants) located in the Prefecture of Saitama north of Tokyo only about 60km from Tokorozawa which we remember was the pre-Olympic home of Italian athletes in recent months.
It is an important industrial and commercial center served by eight motorway junctions and three railway lines.
The climate has a characterization of sub-tropical humidity, but the month of September is considered the wettest with an average of over 1,500mm of rain and an average temperature of 23°. The humidity is high (over 75%) and when it rains it even exceeds 200mm per day.
Yesterday Kumagaya was no exception: the rainy day characterized the All Japan Inter University Track and Field Championships, an annual competition between universities of great interest.
The two running races, male and female ili, took place over the 10,000m track walk distance
10,000m track walk men
Numbers for non-Europeans now unknown: 25 athletes entered, 23 at the start.
He won the race Yuta Koga (JPN) born in 1999 who is coached by our personal friend Koji Hoga Miura, biomechanical expert, collaborator of the Japan Team, but also personal trainer for Meiji University. In this latter role he co-operates with Takehiro Sonohara, Barcelona 1992 Olympic athlete who is the Team Leader of Meiji University.
The personal best of Yuta Koga are very respectable and we propose them below.
| Discipline | Performance | Place | Date |
| 5000m Race Walk | 18:26.70 | Juntendo University Stadium, Inzai (JPN) | 25 OCT 2020 |
| 10.000m Race Walk | 37:35.00 | Juntendo University Stadium, Inzai (JPN) | 14 NOV 2020 |
| 20km Race Walk | 1:18:42 | Nomi (JPN) | 15 MAR 2020 |
Yuta Koga, in case someone didn't know, was the fourth athlete (the possible reserve) selected by the JAAF for this year's Olympic Games.
Below Koga's split times each 1.000m
- 1.000m: 3:51
- 2.000m: 7:45 (3:54)
- 3.000m: 11:42 (3:57)
- 4.000m: 15:41 (3:59)
- 5.000m: 19:40 (3:59)
- 6.000m: 23:40 (4:00)
- 7.000m: 27:42 (4:02)
- 8.000m: 31:45 (4:03)
- 9.000m: 35:45 (4:00)
- last 1.000m in 4:00.90
The result obtained yesterday by Yuta Koga (39:45.90), despite being obtained in a difficult day, is still his third performance over the distance.
Second place to Hiroto Jusho (JPN) in 40:41.57
Third place to Ryo Hamanishi (JPN) in 42:04.29
However, it is interesting to note that six other athletes managed to finish the race under the 42:00.00 barrier despite being a university-level competition.
10,000m track walk women
Also in the women's race numbers for the now unknown non-Europeans: 23 athletes entered and all at the start.
Minori Yabuta (JPN) and Yukiko Umeno (JPN) competed for the victory and walked together for a good part for the race.
In the final the victory went to Minori Yabuta (JPN) in 46:03.57
Second place to Yukiko Umeno (JPN) in 46:23.42
Third place to Hitomi Shimooka (JPN) in 47:07.65
