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Fujitsu's Kazuya Shiojiri, the former ace of Juntendo University in Hakone, won the Men's 5000m at All Japan Athletics Championships. It was his first victory in the event. Congratulations to Kazuya!
In the beginning of the race, two African runners, who were open participants, led the pack. Then, toward the middle of the race, Yuichiro Ueno, who is the coach of the Rikkyo University Ekiden Club, alternated with the aforementioned Africans to lead the pace.
Ueno ran out of steam after the midpoint, but the leading group was replaced by a group of strong Japanese runners who were aiming for the top prize. Leading the pack was defending champion Hyuga Endo of Sumitomo Electric Industries, who has won this event twice in a row.
Endo graduated from Gakuho Ishikawa High School in Fukushima Prefecture and immediately started working for a businessman's team. He has a reputation for his last-minute spurt, and he was eagerly awaiting his chance to make it in today's race.
Shiojiri was the one who prevented him from doing so. Knowing that he had no chance to win in the sprint race on the last lap, Shiojiri made a long spurt with two laps to go!
The question was, how long would Shiojiri's long spurt last? The race was now down to how long Shiojiri's spurt would last, and where Endo would catch him.
The bell rang for the final lap. Endo's pitch clearly increased, and the third placer was closing in on Endo. The pace of the two competitors visibly increased as they competed with each other. The gap between Endo and Shiojiri, running solo in front, has narrowed! Has Shiojiri played into Endo's hands?
The gap did not close any further, and Shiojiri cut the tape, almost keeping the gap he had opened up in the long spurt on the second lap.
The race reminded me of the U.S. Women's 10,000m Tokyo Olympics selection race. There were two 5000m specialists in this race who had already qualified for the Women's 5000m and were looking for their spot in their second event. If the race was slow-paced, a sprinter who is confident in sprinting could make a last sprint to escape. In the actual race, both of the aforementioned runners who planned to win in this way dominated the pace at the front of the field.
However, there was one who didn't like it to happen and that was Emily Sisson. After taking the lead from the 5,000-meter specialist after the midpoint of the race, she gradually increased her pace.
Too fast a pace too early is a double-edged sword. Running out of gas in the last part of the race, she could be overtaken by those with stamina. However, Emily Sisson was able to maintain the lead and qualified for the Olympics.
In short, I think that is what she had been practicing for. I think Shiojiri was also practicing like that today. What you practice comes out in the competition. Plain and simple. But hard to put into practice.
全日本陸上選手権男子5000㍍が行われ、順天堂大学のエースとして箱根を沸かせた富士通の塩尻和也選手が初優勝した。おめでとう！
レースは序盤オープン参加のアフリカ勢がひっぱる展開となった。その後中盤にかけ、立教大学駅伝部の監督を務める上野裕一郎選手が前述のアフリカ勢と交互に首位を交代する形でペースを引っ張った。
遠藤日向選手は、箱根駅伝には目もくれず福島県の学法石川高校を卒業後すぐに実業団に就職した。ラストスパートに定評があり、今日のレースでもそのチャンスを虎視眈々と狙っている。
それを阻んだのが塩尻選手だった。最終ラップのスプリント勝負で勝ち目がないことを知る塩尻選手は、残り2周の手前からロングスパートをかけたのだ！
勝負は塩尻選手のロングスパートがどこまで持ち堪えるか？遠藤選手のスパートがどこで塩尻選手を捉えるかに絞られた。
最終ラップの鐘が鳴る。遠藤選手のピッチが明らかに上がる。3位の選手が遠藤選手にくらいつく。競り合う形で二人のペースが目で見ても分かるように上がる。前を走る短独走の塩尻選手との差が縮まった！万事休すか！？
差はそれ以上縮まらなかった。2周目のロングスパートで空けた差をほぼほぼ守ったまま塩尻選手がテープを切った。
レースを見て、アメリカ女子10000㍍の東京五輪選考レースを思い出した。このレースには5000㍍で出場を決めているスピード系の選手が二人出場していて、二種目目の出場権を狙っていた。レースがスローペースになった場合、スプリントに自信のある選手が最後のスパートで逃げ来ることができる。実際のレースもそうした勝ち方を目論む前述の両選手が先頭でペースを支配する展開となった。
しかしそこに物言いをつけた選手がいた。Emily Sisson選手である。中盤以降に5000㍍のスペシャリストから首位を奪うとそのまま徐々に徐々にペースアップを図った。
速過ぎるペースアップは諸刃の剣だ。ラストでガス欠をし、力を温存している後半型の選手にまくられて後塵を拝すことになりかねない。しかしEmily Sisson選手は逃げ切った。そして五輪の出場権を獲得した。
要するに、そういう練習をしていたのだと思う。今日の塩尻選手も、そういう練習をしていたと思う。練習したことが本番に出る。まる。
