About Toyo University The 99th Hakone Ekiden
SONO-ICHIBYO-O-KEZURIDASE ーEvery Second Counts!
Toyo displayed a fiery comeback in the second half of last year's Hakone Ekiden. With the determination of Tetsukon*, Toyo came home in 4th place overall. Toyo will go to Hakone again with aggressive running that embodies this season's slogan, "Unleash your Fighting Spirit."
*Tetsukon: Toyo University's school color. A rich purplish navy-blue.
 Head Coach Toshiyuki Sakai |
Born in Fukushima prefecture in 1976. Coach Sakai graduated from Toyo University, Faculty of Economics. Coach Sakai joined Konica (presently Konica Minolta) in 1999, but later resigned to serve as club counselor for the track and field club of his alma mater, Gakko Hojin Ishikawa Senior High School. He has held the position of head coach of the Long-Distance Division of Toyo University’s Track and Field Club since April 2009. |
Comments from Head Coach Toshiyuki Sakai
We worked hard to achieve solid results in the first half of the season. We won the Kanto Intercollege Championships (May), qualified for the All-Japan University Men's Ekiden (June), won the Oga Ekiden (June), and performed well at the Hokkaido Marathon (August). I built this team around the 4th year students.
However, we could not field our best team at both the Izumo Ekiden (October) and the All-Japan University Men's Ekiden (November) due to key athletes being injured. Consequently, we had difficulty with the running order. We struggled to match the pace from the start at both events. However, we put in a strong performance from the middle sections at the All-Japan University Men's Ekiden, which led us to finish in eighth place, with the sixth place team in sight. As a result, we finished in the seeded positions for the first time in two years, and this result gives us confidence going into the Hakone Ekiden.
I believe that if all the boys come together to work on the issues that came up in the ekiden before Hakone, they will become an even stronger team. I want the team to compete for the top spots, wear the Tetsukon uniform with pride, Unleash their Fighting Spirit push past their limits, and pass on the sash to the next runner by giving their absolute all to grind out every last second.
Due to the spread of COVID-19, there will again be restrictions on roadside support this year. However, I hope this will be an opportunity for Toyo University alumni to come together. Please continue to provide your generous support to the team.
Team Entry: Potential Runners (As of November 24)
Students are ordered by academic year and last name (in order of the Japanese syllabary)
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Masato Arao 4th year student, High School |
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Yugo Kashiwa 4th year student, High School |
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Daichi Kimoto 4th year student, High School |
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Yusuke Kodama 4th year student, High School |
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Taiga Seino 4th year student, High Shool |
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Yoshihiro Maeda 4th year student, High School |
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Hikaru Okuyama 3rd year student, High School |
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Keishun Kushima 3rd year student, High School |
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Takaya Kumazaki 3rd year student, High School |
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Mahiro Sato 3rd year student, High School |
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Kazuki Matsuyama 3rd year student, High School |
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Taichi Murakami 3rd year student, High School |
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Kosuke Ishida 2nd year student, Department of Information Sciences and Arts, Faculty of Information Sciences and Arts High School |
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Ren Umezaki 2nd year student, High School |
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Yasuhiro Katsuki 2nd year student, High School |
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Ryota Kobayashi 2nd year student, High School |
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Shu Yoshida 2nd year student, High School |
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Keigo Amimoto 1st year student, High School |
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Renato Ogata 1st year student, High School |
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Mashu Nishimura 1st year student, High School |
Request Regarding Watching the Race from the Roadside
Please wear a mask and socially distance from others when watching the race from the roadside. Also, please refrain from vocal cheering. or holding up items that display the Toyo University name, such as streamers, flags, and banners. The Hakone Ekiden will be broadcast live on TV and radio.
| January 2, 2023 -First Half- |
January 3, 2023 -Second Half- |
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| Radio Japan (FM92.4, AM1422) | 7:30-14:25 | 7:00-14:30 |
| Nippon TV | 7:00-14:05 | 7:00-14:18 |
Toyo University Hakone Ekiden Supporter Website
This year we conducted a significant renewal of the website. Videos of the head coach's and captain's ambitions for this year's Hakone Ekiden and athlete introduction videos will be released frequently to build up the fever leading to the day of the Hakone Ekiden. Please send support to the athletes by sharing what you think of the videos on SNS!
https://www.toyo.ac.jp/contents/tetsukon/
This is the Club’s official Instagram account, where we post information about the athletes who are training hard every day. The account has over 40,000 followers, and information about tournaments, tournament results, and highlight photos are uploaded. Support the athletes and get information quickly by following the Club on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/toyo.tu/
Track and Field Club News
●The Long-Distance Division’s Yugo Kashiwa is the First Student to Win the Right to Participate in the MGC
Yugo Kashiwa (4th year student, in the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics) finished second among the Japanese runners at the 2022 Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo on August 28, 2022.
This was the first time Kashiwa had attempted a full marathon, He was the fastest Japanese runner at the 41km mark, and finished with a time of 2:11:41. Kashiwa successfully cleared the entry criteria for the MGC (Marathon Grand Championship—a selection race for the Olympic Games Paris 2024), which is finishing within the top three with a time of 2:14:00 or less. With this result, Kashiwa became the first student to win the right to participate in the MGC, which is scheduled to be held in fall 2023.
●The Long-Distance Division Features in the 34th Izumo All-Japan University Ekiden
On October 10, 2022, the 34th Izumo Ekiden, the first of the three major student Ekiden, was held in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. Twenty teams ran the six sections of the 45.1km Izumo Ekiden cheered on by ekiden fans back after authorities permitted roadside cheering for the first time in three years. Toyo University finished in 9th overall, with a time of 2:13:35.
●The Long-Distance Division Finishes in the Seeded Positions at the 54th All-Japan University Men’s Ekiden
The 54th All-Japan University Men’s Ekiden, where athletes run from Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture to Ise in Mie Prefecture, was held on November 6, 2022. A total of 27 teams, including two open entry teams, battled it out over the 106.8km course, comprising eight sections. Yoshihiro Maeda (4th year student in the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics) ran the 4th section passing over the sash in the seeded 8th place. Toyo managed to hold on for an overall 8th place finish with a time of 5:13:10. With this, Toyo regained its rightful place as a seeded university at the All-Japan University Men’s Ekiden.
●The Women’s Long-Distance Division Features in the 40th All-Japan University Women’s Ekiden
The 40th All-Japan University Women’s Ekiden was held in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on October 30, 2022. After a two-year absence, the Women’s Long-Distance Division returned for their ninth showing in the All-Japan University Women’s Ekiden. They completed the six sections spanning 38.1km in a time of 2:14:12, finishing in 21st position overall. The women’s team aims to compete at the upcoming 2022 All-Japan University Women’s Ekiden (Mt. Fuji Ekiden) held on December 30.
●Athletes from the Sprinting Division Put on Stunning Performances at the World Athletic Championships
The World Athletics Championships Oregon 22 were held in Oregon, USA, from July 15 to 24, 2022, Yuki Joseph Nakajima (3rd year student, Department of Information Sciences and Arts, Faculty of Information Sciences and Arts) and Hiroki Yanagita (1st year student in the Department of International Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Letters) from the Sprinting Division competed. Nakajima finished fourth in the final of the men's 4x400 meter relay.
The 19th World Athletics U20 Championships was held in Cali, Colombia, from August 1 to 6th. Hiroki Yanagita and Shunki Tateno (1st year student, in the Department of Health Care and Sports, Faculty of Human Life Design) won gold, finishing first in the men’s 4x100 meter relay. Yanagita also featured in the men’s 100 meter, finishing 6th in the final. Also, Daiki Ogawa (1st year student, Department of Health Care and Sports, Faculty of Human Life Design) competed in the men’s 4x400 meter. The team progressed to the finals and put in a solid performance to finish 6th.