<37th Izumo Ekiden> Soka University Ekiden Team takes 3rd place! ~All runners finish well, finishing within the top 5 in their sections
On Monday, October 13th (national holiday), the 37th Izumo All-Japan University Selected Ekiden Race (Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane to Izumo Dome, 6 stages, 45.1 km) was held, and the Soka University Ekiden Club, participating for the fifth consecutive year, finished in third place with a time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 5 seconds, making it onto the podium.
The Izumo Ekiden, which marks the start of the ekiden season, is considered one of the three major student ekiden races, along with the All-Japan University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden. A total of 22 university teams participated in this year's event. Takumi Orihashi (3rd year), who ran the first leg of the Izumo race for the first time, maintained a calm race from the beginning and passed the sash to Riki Koike (3rd year) for the second leg, finishing 4th, 13 seconds behind the leader. Koike ran aggressively through the shortest leg (5.8 kilometers), finishing 4th in his leg and moving up one place to 3rd in the team standings. He then passed the sash to Steven Muccini (3rd year) for the third leg. Steven persevered through the leg, where each school's top runners competed, finishing 5th in his leg and 6th in the team standings, before passing the sash to Junna Ishimaru (4th year). Drawing on his experience running the same leg as a freshman, Ishimaru ran hard to improve his position and finish 3rd in his leg. With the team ranked in 5th place, the 5th section was passed to Yamaguchi Shoki (2nd year). Yamaguchi calmly responded to the course with small ups and downs, running calmly and steadily to finish 4th in his section. With the team ranked in 4th place, the runner was passed to Nozawa Yuma (4th year) as anchor. Aiming for the team's goal of finishing in the top 3, Nozawa showed a powerful run from the moment he received the sash until the very end, finishing in 5th place in his section and moving up another place in the team's rankings as they crossed the finish line at Izumo Dome in 3rd place.
Coach Enoki Kazutaka said, "We came in fourth in the last tournament, and were disappointed that we were unable to achieve our team goal, so our players came to Izumo with the strong determination to win third place no matter what. I feel that each and every one of them ran with the fighting spirit that is in our team slogan. Although we still have some issues to work on before the All-Japan University Ekiden, I believe this result reflects the results of our united team efforts. We will work to improve the level of the players who did not run today and to further strengthen our team strength. Thank you very much to everyone who came along the roadside and to everyone who cheered us on from their televisions. We will work hard as a team to achieve our team goals in both the All-Japan University Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden. We appreciate your continued warm support."
Comments from the players who participated.
○ Section 1: Takumi Orihashi (3rd year): My main goal was to pass the sash in a position where I could see the leading runner and create momentum for the team. I was over 10 seconds behind the leader, which is an issue, but I think I did the bare minimum. I'll keep practicing hard in the future, aiming to win the section prize.
○ Section 2 Koike Riki (3rd year): I went into the race with the determination to avenge my two-place drop in the 10th section of the last Hakone Ekiden. I made it through the summer season without any injuries and was in good condition for the Izumo Ekiden. I was able to run well enough up until the last kilometer, but my inability to hang in there until the end is an issue. I want to run well enough to push the team to third place or higher in both the All Japan Ekiden and the Hakone Ekiden.
○Section 3 Steven Muccini (3rd year): This was my first time competing in the Izumo Ekiden. Even though I wasn't in perfect condition, I think I was able to do my best without giving up. I would like to prepare thoroughly for the All Japan University Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden and live up to the team's expectations by winning a section.
○Section 4 - Ishimaru Junna (4th year): Section 4 is said to be an important section, so I felt some pressure, but I received the sash with the determination to run to the best of my ability. I have been working on improving my stamina, and as a result, I think I was able to run in a way that allowed me to compete with the main runners from other universities. I will continue to run with this momentum and give back.
○ 5th Section Yamaguchi Shoki (2nd year): I was able to approach the race with confidence. I ran steadily in the first half, assessing the situation, and then attacked in the second half, running ideally, and was able to hand over the sash in a position where we could aim for the team's goal of finishing in the top three. Even though it was difficult, I was able to enjoy the relay race and gain something from it. I will continue to do my best to contribute to the team by running to the best of my strengths.
○Section 6 - Nozawa Yuma (4th year): Yamaguchi, who was in the 5th section, brought the sash to me in a good position, so I was able to start off strong. The heat and headwind made things tough in the second half, but I made a confident long sprint in the last kilometer, which helped me move up one place and achieve my team goal of finishing in the top three. With the All-Japan University Ekiden and Hakone Ekiden in sight, I will use this momentum to spread to the whole team, and work on improving my stamina and endurance.
*All images are ©Getsuriku
