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High School Girls' 3000 m Regional Results

by Brett Larner

This weekend's main track action came at regional high school championships across the country as Japan's best young distance athletes sought places at the July 29-Aug. 2 National High School Track & Field Championships in Niigata.  The most noteworthy results came in the girls' 3000 m, where three regions saw the top pair go under the meet record.  Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) made headlines with a prefectural record 9:06.91 MR at the Kagoshima regional meet, the fastest time of the weekend.  Uehara was so dominating that runner-up Misuzu Nakahara (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.), the only other woman to go under 9:20 this weekend, was also under the old meet record but nearly 10 seconds behind.

Uehara certainly looks like the favorite for this summer's national meet, despite the best efforts of rivals Sakiko Naito (Funabashi Shiritsu H.S.), who set a MR 9:21.60 at the Chiba regional meet, and Miki Hirai (Shiroishi H.S.), who got the Saga region record in 9:23.64 after setting another meet record in the 1500 m.  The strong Nanako Kanno (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) and Mika Kobayashi (Suma Gakuen H.S.) won the Kyoto and Hyogo region meets in 9:22.42 and 9:23.94 respectively but fell short of hitting their regions' records.

65th Kagoshima Prefecture H.S. T&F Championships Women's 3000 m Final
Kamoike Field, Kagoshima, 6/3/12
1. Miyuki Uehara (Kagoshima Joshi H.S.) - 9:06.91 - MR, Pref. Rec.
2. Misuzu Nakahara (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) - 9:15.04 (MR)
3. Nozomi Nishiyama (Kamimura Gakuen H.S.) - 9:23.65

65th Chiba Prefecture H.S. T&F Championships Women's 3000 m Final
Chiba Prefecture Sports Park Field, Chiba, 5/20/12
1. Sakiko Naito (Funabashi Shiritsu H.S.) - 9:21.60 - MR
2. Chiharu Watanabe (Funabashi Shiritsu H.S.) - 9:25.75 (MR)
3. Kanako Uesugi (Kashiwa Nittai Prep H.S.) - 9:38.44

65th Kyoto Region H.S. T&F Championships Women's 3000 m Final
Saikyo Sports Park Field, Kyoto, 6/3/12
1. Nanako Kanno (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:22.42
2. Nanami Aoki (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:28.46
3. Ayano Ikeuchi (Ritsumeikan Uji H.S.) - 9:30.00

65th Saga Prefecture H.S. T&F Championships Women's 3000 m Final
Saga Prefecture Sports Park Field, Saga, 6/4/12
1. Miki Hirai (Shiroishi H.S.) - 9:23.64 MR
2. Yuki Yokoishi (Shiroishi H.S.) - 9:29.25 (MR)
3. Haruka Inutsuka (Taku H.S.) - 9:42.28

65th Hyogo Prefecture H.S. T&F Championships Women's 3000 m Final
Universiad Memorial Field, Kobe, 6/3/12
1. Mika Kobayashi (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 9:23.94
2. Kotona Ota (Suma Gakuen H.S.) - 9:24.63
3. Misaki Hayashida (Himeji Jogyo H.S.) - 9:28.02

(c) 2012 Brett Larner
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