| JAP - Sprint Championships, Kushiro, 3 TR |
|
|
| Friday, 04 January 2008 | |
|
Joji Kato and Sayuri Yoshii won the Japanese Sprint titles. Men In Kushiro, the races were held on Dec. 22 and 23. Kato was the best on the 500m, with 35,75, a TR, and 36,01, second in the first 1000m with 1.12,86 and fourth place, 1.13,08, was enough on the final distance to secure the title. Keiichiro Nagashima finished behind him, after second places in the 500m (36,02 and 36,38) and twice a winning 1.12,58 in the 1000m, which is a track record. Tadara Obara took third place, mainly through his strong 1000m, where he finished third, 1.12,92, and second, 1.12,91. Hiroyasu Shimizu finished third in both 500m races (36,35 and 36,56), was 9th in the first 1000 and didn’t skate the last. Takaharu Nakajima finished in fourth, (third on the last 1000 with 1.13,07), fifth was Akio Oota. Then there was a gap of almost two entire points to the next in the standing, Masaaki Kobayashi. In total, 40 men started. Ladies Sayuri Yoshii won the two 500ms just like Kato, and she finished second in the 1000s, where Maki Tabata was the strongest with 1.21,04 and 1.19,40, which is a track record. Yoshii’s times: 39,58, 1,21,15, 40,13 and 1.20,58. Shihomi Shinya got the silver overall, with three third places, and a second place in the second 500m. Sayuri Osuga also made the podium twice, second and third on the 500m, but Tabata was so much stronger in the 1000ms, that Osuga finished outside the podium. Fifth was Maki Tsuji. Yukari Watanabe had to fourth-place finishes in the 500m, but finished pre-last on both 1000s. There were 31 ladies skating. |