In the splendid setting of Wajima (JPN), the 106th edition of the National Walking Championships took place this morning with departure at 8:00 (Tokyo time zone) which this year for the first time will take place over a distance of 35km.
35km men
There are 23 athletes at the start. Ten of them come from the longest distance, while the other thirteen have always been an expression of the 20km.
From the first km a couple is formed in the lead, which will then be the one who will fight to the end for the victory in the Japan Championship: they are Daisuke Matsunaga and Masatora Kawano.
Their passage at 5km is as follows: Matsunaga (20:02), Kawano (20:07) together with Satoshi Maruo (20:08)
- at 10km
The passage is quite fast with the second 5km covered in 20:29 for the leader who is Matsunaga and who passes to 10km in 40:31.
Following him at 23 seconds Maruo and Kawano passing together in 40:54, in turn followed by Tomohiro Noda in 41:13. More detached Hayato Katsuki in 43:46
- at 15km
Always in the lead Matsunaga in 1:00:52 (third 5km in 20:21). Tomohiro Noda reached Masatora Kawano and Satoshi Maruo and they pass together in 1:02:01
- at 20km
Daisuke Matsunaga still leads the race in 1:21:35 (with the quarterly 5km covered in 20:42). Noda and Kawano have detached Maruo and pass in 1:23:08 with a gap of 1:34 (and with a partial on 5km of 21:07)
- at 25km
The situation has not changed.
The leader is still Matsunaga in 1:42:46 (with the fifth 5km covered in 21:12), but his advantage is reduced to 1:21 on Noda and Kawano passing in 1:44:01 (with a partial on 5km of 20:54)
- at 30km
Always in the lead Daisuke Matsunaga in 2:04:38 (with the sixth 5km covered in 21:52). Fatigue is felt for Matsunaga who has always been a specialist of 10km and 20km and who is in his first experience on the longest distance.
His lead over Masatora Kawano (2:04:56 with a half of 20:54) is now 18 seconds.
Tomohiro Noda also pays the price of the effort and is cut off, but he is still not that far from Matsunaga (1:01). His passage at 3pkm is 2:05:39 with a partial on 5km of 21:38.
- at 33km
Between 32 and 33km Masatora Kawano crowns his dream and reaches a Matsunaga in full crisis and takes him off. The passage for Kawano is 2:17:47 and for Matsunaga 2:18:06. Matsunaga has to fight tooth and nail to save the silver from the return of Tomohiro Noda in the last two kilometers, but for only 9 seconds he will have to settle for the bronze.
Victory to Masatora Kawano (JPN) in 2:26:40 new best 2022 season world performance
Second place to Daisuke Matsunaga (JPN) in 2:27:09 new sesond best 2022 season world performance
Third place to Tomohiro Noda (JPN) in 2:27:18
Fourth place to Satoshi Maruo (JPN) in 2:29:19
Fifth place went to Hayato Katsuki (JPN) in 2:30:41
Below is the updated 2022 season list of the top ten.
35km women
The women's race was already very simple to decipher and linear.
Serena Sonoda has been leading since the 5km (24:08) she has never been reached.
These are her passages:
- 5km: 24:08
- 10km: 48:03 (23:55)
- 15km: 1:11:43 (23:40)
- 20km: 1:35:19 (23:36)
- 25km: 1:58:48 (23:29)
- 30km: 2:22:19 m (23:31)
- last 5km in 23:29
Victory then to Serena Sonoda (JPN) in 2:45:48
Second place to Kaofri Kawazoe (JPN) in 2:54:25
Third place to Maika Yagi (JPN) in 2:55:55
Fourth place to Masumi Fuchise (JPN) in 2:59:18
Fifth place to Mao Tatsumi (JPN) in 2:59:37
20km men
As expected at the start, three athletes had chosen to compete, with the permission of the JAAF, on the distance of 20km: Koki Ikeda, Eiki Takahashi and Motofumi Suwa.
Victory to Koki Ikeda (JPN) in 1:18:53 (third seasonal world performance; the first if the athletes from Russia are excluded)
These are his passages:
- 5km: 19:34
- 10km: 39:07 (19:33)
- 15km: 58:38 (19:31)
- last 5km in 20:15
Second place to Eiki Takahashi (JPN) in 1:19:16
These are his passages:
- 5km: 19:34
- 10km: 39:08 (19:34)
- 15km: 58:53 (19:45)
- last 5km in 20:23
Third place to Motofumi Suwa (JPN) in 1:23:46
Below is the updated 2022 season list of the top ten.
20km women
As expected at the start two athletes had chosen to compete, with the permission of the JAAF, on the distance of 20km: Nanako Fujii and Kumiko Okada.
Victory to Nanako Fujii (JPN) in 1:29:29
These are his passages:
- 5km: 22:25
- 10km: 44:52 (22:27)
- 15km: 1:07:17 (22:25)
- last 5km in 22:12
Second place to Kumiko Okada (JPN) in 1:29:31
These are his passages:
- 5km: 22:25
- 10km: 44:52 (22:27)
- 15km: 1:07:17 (22:25)
- last 5km in 22:14
(Photos by Akihiro Sugimoto - JPN)